North Dakota Century Code Title 61. Waters § 61-24.5-16. Procedure for exclusion from authority of county not benefited

1. Any county in the authority not benefited or not to be benefited, in whole or in part, by the southwest pipeline project, or any part thereof, may be excluded from the authority as provided herein. The board of county commissioners of any such county may by resolution direct the county auditor and the chairman of the board to file with the board of directors of the authority a petition, for and on behalf of the county, requesting the board of directors of the authority to exclude such county therefrom. A certified copy of the resolution of the county board must accompany and be filed with such petition. The petition and resolution must state specific reasons why such county will not be benefited by the southwest pipeline project, or any part thereof.

2. Within sixty days from the date of filing said resolution and petition for exclusion from the authority, the authority board shall meet to consider such petition. It may grant such petition or it may fix a time and place for a hearing thereon. If a hearing is set, the secretary of the board shall cause notice of the filing of such petition for exclusion, and of the time and place for a hearing, to be published once each week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation printed within the authority. The hearing mentioned in such notice must be held not less than ten nor more than twenty days after the last publication of such notice. The notice must state that any person, corporation, limited liability company, municipality, and county in the authority may appear or be represented at the hearing and show cause why the petition should or should not be granted. The board shall hear the petition at the time and place mentioned in the notice.

3. If after the hearing on the petition the authority board of directors shall determine that the county requesting to be excluded from the authority will not be benefited, the authority board shall by resolution grant the petition and shall direct the chairman and secretary to execute the order of the board excluding such county from the authority. If, however, the authority board shall decide that such county will be benefited, it shall deny the petition and direct the chairman and secretary to execute its order refusing to exclude such county from the authority. A county excluded from the authority is not liable for any obligations thereof incurred after exclusion but is liable for and shall pay to the authority taxes levied before exclusion.

4. If any contract has been made with the United States or any agency thereof, or the state of North Dakota or any agency thereof, before such petition is filed, such petition may not be granted unless consented thereto by the appropriate agency of the United States or North Dakota, and if such agency gives its consent upon condition, such conditions must be included in the order of exclusion and the county may be required to, and in that event such county shall continue to, pay and satisfy any obligations under any such contract.