Alabama § 45-2-261.07 - Procedure for Exercising Jurisdiction in Each District.

§ 45-2-261.07. Procedure for Exercising Jurisdiction in Each District.

The Baldwin County Commission shall not exercise its planning and zoning powers and jurisdiction in any district established hereunder until the majority of the qualified electors of the district voting in an election shall have voted their desire to come within the planning and zoning authority of the Baldwin County Commission. The election shall be held if 10 percent of the qualified electors in any district submit a written petition to the county commission expressing a desire to be subject to the planning and zoning jurisdiction of the Baldwin County Commission under authority of this subpart. For the purposes of the establishment of districts after June 1, 2010, a district shall correspond to a voting precinct or precincts in the county unless the county governing body determines that the use of voting precinct boundaries is not feasible. A party or parties seeking to file a petition shall notify the county governing body in writing that the parties will petition for the formation of a district and the proposed boundaries of the district. The judge of probate within 15 days shall give a preliminary estimate of the number of signatures needed to call the election. The county governing body shall notify the principal party in writing within 30 days of written notification by petitioners of intent to request a referendum, by United States mail, return receipt requested, that the proposed district is acceptable for planning, zoning, and voting purposes and shall furnish forms to the petitioner for use in seeking the number of signatures required to call an election. The parties shall have 120 days thereafter to obtain the necessary signatures and file the petition. The County Commission and the Judge of Probate of Baldwin County shall certify or reject the accuracy of the petition no later than 45 days after receiving the petition. If the number of signatures is not sufficient, the parties shall have another 60 days to complete the petition and have it certified. If the petition is not certified, a petition for the proposed district may not be refiled for two year after the final denial of certification. Upon certification, the county commission shall then instruct the Judge of Probate of Baldwin County to provide for an election within that district no later than 90 days after the certification. Notice of the election shall be published four times during the 30-day period immediately preceding the date of the election in a newspaper of general circulation in Baldwin County. In addition, the county commission shall notify by U.S. mail each elector in a district of the election and the process to obtain additional information. The notification shall state the date of the election and the polling place or places for voting. The judge of probate shall conduct the election. All costs for the notification and election shall be paid from the General Fund of Baldwin County. If a majority of the qualified electors in a district vote in the negative in the election, then the district shall not be subject to the zoning and planning jurisdiction of the Baldwin County Commission, and the qualified electors of the district shall not be eligible to petition for another election until two years from the date of the last election. If a majority of the qualified electors in a district vote in the affirmative, then the district shall be subject to the zoning and planning jurisdiction of the Baldwin County Commission.