(a) Standards. - The city council of any city may by resolution define a service district upon finding that a proposed district is in need of one or more of the services, facilities, or functions listed in G.S. 160A-536 to a demonstrably greater extent than the remainder of the city.
(b) Report. - Before the public hearing required by subsection (c), the city council shall cause to be prepared a report containing:
(1) A map of the proposed district, showing its proposed boundaries;
(2) A statement showing that the proposed district meets the standards set out in subsection (a); and
(3) A plan for providing in the district one or more of the services listed in G.S. 160A-536.
The report shall be available for public inspection in the office of the city clerk for at least four weeks before the date of the public hearing.
(c) Hearing and Notice. - The city council shall hold a public hearing before adopting any resolution defining a new service district under this section. Notice of the hearing shall state the date, hour, and place of the hearing and its subject, and shall include a map of the proposed district and a statement that the report required by subsection (b) is available for public inspection in the office of the city clerk. The notice shall be published at least once not less than one week before the date of the hearing. In addition, it shall be mailed at least four weeks before the date of the hearing by any class of U.S. mail which is fully prepaid to the owners as shown by the county tax records as of the preceding January 1 (and at the address shown thereon) of all property located within the proposed district. The person designated by the council to mail the notice shall certify to the council that the mailing has been completed and his certificate is conclusive in the absence of fraud.
(d) Effective Date. - Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the resolution defining a service district shall take effect at the beginning of a fiscal year commencing after its passage, as determined by the city council. If the governing body in the resolution states that general obligation bonds or special obligation bonds are anticipated to be authorized for the project, it may make the resolution effective immediately upon its adoption or as otherwise provided in the resolution. However, no ad valorem tax may be levied for a partial fiscal year.
(e) In the case of a resolution defining a service district, which is adopted during the period beginning July 1, 1981, and ending July 31, 1981, and which district is for any purpose defined in G.S. 160A-536(1), the city council may make the resolution effective for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1981. In any such case, the report under subsection (b) of this section need only have been available for public inspection for at least two weeks before the date of the public hearing, and the notice required by subsection (c) of this section need only have been mailed at least two weeks before the date of the hearing. (1973, c. 655, s. 1; 1981, c. 53, s. 1; c. 733, s. 1; 2006-162, s. 25; 2012-156, s. 4.)
Sections: Previous 160A-522 160A-523 160A-524 160A-525 160A-526 160A-535 160A-536 160A-537 160A-538 160A-538.1 160A-539 160A-540 160A-541 160A-542 160A-543 Next
Last modified: March 23, 2014