Minnesota Session Laws - 2003, Regular Session

                             CHAPTER 91-S.F.No. 857 
                  An act relating to lake improvement districts; 
                  changing the percent of property owners necessary to 
                  petition for creation and termination of a district; 
                  amending Minnesota Statutes 2002, sections 103B.521, 
                  subdivision 1; 103B.581, subdivision 1. 
        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
           Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 103B.521, 
        subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
           Subdivision 1.  [PETITION.] (a) A lake improvement district 
        may be initiated by a petition to the county board.  The 
        petition must state: 
           (1) the name of the proposed lake improvement district; 
           (2) the necessity of the proposed district to promote 
        public health or public welfare; 
           (3) the benefits to property from the establishment of the 
        lake improvement district; 
           (4) the boundaries of the proposed district which shall be 
        encouraged to be as consistent as possible with natural 
        hydrologic boundaries; 
           (5) a map of the proposed district; 
           (6) the number, from five to nine, of directors proposed 
        for the district; and 
           (7) a request for establishing the district as proposed. 
           (b) A petition must be signed by 26 percent a majority of 
        the property owners within the proposed lake improvement 
        district described in the petition.  Governmental subdivisions, 
        other than the state or federal governments, owning lands within 
        the proposed district are eligible to sign the petition. 
           (c) The petition must be filed with the county auditor and 
        addressed to the board, requesting the board to establish a lake 
        improvement district to develop and provide a program of water 
        and related land resources management. 
           (d) The county board shall, at least 30 days before it acts 
        on a petition, send the town board of a town wholly or partially 
        within the boundaries of a proposed district a copy of the 
        petition submitted under this subdivision and encourage the town 
        board to respond to the proposed creation of the district.  
           Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2002, section 103B.581, 
        subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
           Subdivision 1.  [PETITION.] Termination of a district may 
        be initiated by petition requesting the termination of the 
        district.  The petition must be signed by 26 percent a majority 
        of the property owners in a district within 30 days after 
        receiving a petition.  The county board or joint county 
        authority must set a time and place for a hearing on terminating 
        the district.  
           Sec. 3.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
           Sections 1 and 2 are effective the day following final 
        enactment. 
           Presented to the governor May 20, 2003 
           Signed by the governor May 23, 2003, 3:35 p.m.