(1) The registered voters of the incorporated and unincorporated areas of a county which do not have a public library may file an initiative petition with the county board requesting the establishment of a county library. The petition shall be filed by July 31 prior to a statewide general election. Signatures gathered before the last statewide general election shall not be counted. An initiative petition shall conform to the requirements of section 32-628. Petition signers and petition circulators shall conform to the requirements of sections 32-629 and 32-630. The county board shall submit the petitions to the election commissioner or county clerk for signature verification pursuant to section 32-631. The required number of signatures shall be five percent of the voters registered at the last statewide general election in the incorporated and unincorporated areas of the county which do not have a public library. The election commissioner or county clerk shall notify the county board within thirty days after receiving the petitions from the county board whether the required number of signatures has been gathered.

(2) If the county board determines that the petitions are in proper form and signed by the necessary number of registered voters, the county board shall notify the governing body and library board of each incorporated area within the county within ten days after such determination and shall publish in a newspaper of general circulation in the county that the registered voters of the unincorporated area of the county and of the incorporated areas which do not have a public library will be asked to vote on the issue at the next statewide general election and shall submit the question of whether to establish a county library to the voters as required in section 51-201.