1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to local government; limiting the municipal 
  1.3             board's authority to initiate consolidation 
  1.4             proceedings; amending Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 
  1.5             414.041, subdivision 1. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 414.041, 
  1.8   subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.9      Subdivision 1.  [INITIATING THE PROCEEDING.] Two or more 
  1.10  municipalities may be the subject of a single proceeding 
  1.11  provided that each municipality abuts at least one of the 
  1.12  included municipalities.  The proceeding shall be initiated in 
  1.13  one of the following ways:  
  1.14     (a) Submitting to the executive director a resolution of 
  1.15  the city council of each affected municipality; 
  1.16     (b) Submitting to the executive director a petition signed 
  1.17  by five percent or more of the resident voters of a municipality 
  1.18  who voted for governor at the last general election; or 
  1.19     (c) By the board on its own motion, after consulting with 
  1.20  and obtaining the consent of the affected municipalities.  
  1.21     The petition or resolution shall set forth the following 
  1.22  information about each included municipality: name, description 
  1.23  of boundaries, the reasons for requesting the consolidation and 
  1.24  the names of all parties entitled to mailed notice under section 
  1.25  414.09.  The party initiating the proceeding shall serve copies 
  2.1   of the petition or resolution on all of the included 
  2.2   municipalities.