22-417.

Consolidation of county offices; powers and duties; procedure; hearing; ballot; form; election; term.

(1) Any county may consolidate the office of clerk of the district court, county assessor, county clerk, county engineer, county surveyor, or register of deeds, except that the consolidated officeholder shall meet the qualifications of each office as required by law. The consolidated office shall have the powers and duties provided by law for each office consolidated. The county board may adopt a resolution for the consolidation of any of such offices and submit the issue of the consolidated office to the registered voters for approval at the next general election or at a special election called for such purpose. The county board shall hold a public hearing prior to adoption of a resolution for the consolidation of offices and shall give notice of the hearing by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the county once each week for three consecutive weeks prior to the hearing. Final publication shall be within seven calendar days prior to the hearing. The notice shall describe the offices to be consolidated and that the holder of the offices to be consolidated shall have his or her term of office end on the first Thursday after the first Tuesday in January following the general election in which the holder of the consolidated office is elected.

(2) The county board shall adopt the resolution for the consolidation of offices by majority vote of the board and shall submit the issue of consolidation to the registered voters for approval at the next general election or at a special election called for such purpose. For each consolidated office submitted for approval, the question shall be submitted to the voters in substantially the following form:

"Shall (name of each office proposed to be consolidated) be consolidated into one consolidated office according to the resolution adopted by the county board of (name of county) on (date of adoption of the resolution by the county board)? Yes No".

(3) If the majority of the registered voters in the county voting on the question vote in favor of consolidation, the consolidated office shall be filled at the next general election, and the terms of the incumbents shall end on the first Thursday after the first Tuesday in January following the general election in which the holder of the consolidated office is elected.

(4) The term of a consolidated officer shall be four years or until his or her successor is elected and qualified, except that the term of a consolidated officer elected in the year 2000 or any fourth year thereafter shall be two years or until his or her successor is elected and qualified.

(5) Any election under this section shall be in accordance with the Election Act.