(a) The legislative body shall then submit the levy of any special taxes to the qualified electors of the proposed community facilities district or to the qualified electors of the territory to be annexed by the community facilities district in the next general election or in a special election to be held, notwithstanding any other requirement, including any requirement that elections be held on specified dates, contained in the Elections Code, at least 90 days, but not more than 180 days, following the adoption of the resolution of formation. The legislative body shall provide the resolution of formation, the resolution deeming it necessary to incur bonded indebtedness, if one is adopted, a certified map of sufficient scale and clarity to show the boundaries of the district, and a sufficient description to allow the election official to determine the boundaries of the district to the official conducting the election within three business days after the adoption of the resolution of formation. Assessor’s parcel numbers for the land within the district shall be included if it is a landowner election or the district does not conform to an existing district’s boundaries and if requested by the official conducting the election. If the election is to be held less than 125 days following the adoption of the resolution of formation, the concurrence of the election official conducting the election shall be required. However, any time limit specified by this section or requirement pertaining to the conduct of the election, including any time limit or requirement applicable to any election conducted pursuant to Article 5 (commencing with Section 53345), may be waived with the unanimous consent of the qualified electors of the proposed district and the concurrence of the election official conducting the election.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (c), if at least 12 persons, who need not necessarily be the same 12 persons, have been registered to vote within the territory of the proposed community facilities district for each of the 90 days preceding the close of the protest hearing, the vote shall be by the registered voters of the proposed district, with each voter having one vote. Otherwise, the vote shall be by the landowners of the proposed district and each person who is the owner of land at the close of the protest hearing, or the authorized representative thereof, shall have one vote for each acre or portion of an acre of land that he or she owns within the proposed community facilities district not exempt from the special tax. Ballots shall be executed by an owner of a parcel, or by a representative of an owner lawfully appointed to represent the owner for purposes of the election. Each person casting a ballot assigned to a parcel of property who is not the owner of that property must present written evidence to the local agency of that person’s authority to act for the owner for the election before casting the ballot. If more than one of the record owners of an identified parcel submits or wishes to submit a ballot, the votes attributable to the parcel shall be allocated to ballots for each owner in proportion to their respective record ownership interest, rounded to the nearest one-tenth of a vote, or, if the ownership interests are not shown on the record, as established to the satisfaction of the local agency, the votes attributable to the parcel shall be allocated according to the ownership interests shown by documentation submitted by those record owners. If no document is submitted, the votes shall be allocated equally among the parcel’s owners requesting ballots. If the appointment of the representative to cast the ballot was made as part of the transaction by which the current owners acquired the property, or if the appointment appoints a former owner, or anyone affiliated in any way with a former owner of the property, the written appointment must be signed by all of the owners, and include a statement signed by all of the owners substantially in the form contained in Section 53341.5. The appointment is not valid if the ballot measure seeks to authorize facilities, services, or special taxes in excess of those shown on the statement. The appointment of a representative to act for property for a single specified landowner election under this chapter shall not constitute a violation of any law prohibiting the impersonation of voters or the inducement to vote in a particular fashion. The number of votes to be voted by a particular landowner shall be specified on the ballot provided to that landowner. If the vote is by landowners pursuant to this subdivision, the legislative body shall determine that any facilities or services financed by the district are necessary to meet increased demands placed upon local agencies as the result of development or rehabilitation occurring in the district.
(c) If the proposed special tax will not be apportioned in any tax year on any portion of property in residential use in that tax year, as determined by the legislative body, the legislative body may provide that the vote shall be by the landowners of the proposed district whose property would be subject to the tax if it were levied at the time of the election. Each of these landowners shall have one vote for each acre, or portion thereof, that the landowner owns within the proposed district that would be subject to the proposed tax if it were levied at the time of the election.
(d) Ballots for the special election authorized by subdivision (a) may be distributed to qualified electors by mail with return postage prepaid or by personal service by the election official. The official conducting the election may certify the proper mailing of ballots by an affidavit, that shall constitute conclusive proof of mailing in the absence of fraud. The voted ballots shall be returned to the election officer conducting the election not later than the hour specified in the resolution calling the election. However, if all the qualified voters have voted, the election may be closed with the concurrence of the official conducting the election.
(Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 670, Sec. 74. Effective January 1, 2008.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018