24-668. Dissolution of portion of joint district; petition, contents; hearing; findings; report; certificate of dissolution; powers and duties of chief engineer. The chief engineer of the division of water resources shall have power upon proper petition being presented for that purpose to dissolve a portion of a joint drainage district organized and incorporated under the provisions of K.S.A. 24-656 to 24-666, both sections inclusive, or any amendments thereto. The petition for dissolution of a portion of a joint drainage district shall be addressed to the chief engineer of the division of water resources and shall: (1) Describe the territory to be dissolved by section numbers and fractions thereof and other platted areas as appropriate; (2) contain a prayer that the territory described therein be dissolved from the joint drainage district, naming it; (3) show that the dissolution is being sought by either a majority of the board of the joint drainage district or a majority of the landowners in the territory to be dissolved. Whenever a petition in conformity with this section is received by the chief engineer it shall be his duty forthwith to fix a time for the hearing of such petition and to give notice thereof which shall be published by the affected joint drainage district at their expense at least twenty (20) days before the date fixed for the hearing. It shall be the duty of the petitioners to show satisfactory evidence in support of the requested dissolution.

If after such hearing the chief engineer finds that the exclusion of the territory described in the petition would leave within the district an area in conformance with the findings considered for the organization of a district as prescribed in K.S.A. 24-661, as amended, and that the exclusion of the territory described in the petition would not substantially impair the effectiveness of the remaining area as a joint drainage district, he shall transmit a written report of his findings on the petition, together with his written approval or disapproval of the petition, to the secretary of state and the secretary of the board. Upon receipt of such report and approval of the petition the secretary of state shall thereupon issue and deliver to the secretary of the board a certificate of dissolution as to the lands which are to be excluded from the district fixing the effective date of such dissolution. A certified copy of the certificate of dissolution shall be recorded in the office of the register of deeds of each county in which any portion of the district is located.

History: L. 1973, ch. 147, § 3; July 1.