Article 2. Hearing And Formation of California Water Code >> Division 21. >> Part 7. >> Chapter 1. >> Article 2.

After the filing of the report required by Section 75001, the board shall give notice of a hearing upon the formation petition by posting a notice thereof in three public places within the proposed improvement district and publishing such notice once a week for two weeks in some newspaper published in the county in which the office of the district is situated. The notice shall be posted not later than 20 days prior to the date set for the hearing.

At the hearing the board shall hear such objections to the formation petition, the formation of the improvement district and its boundaries, and the plans, specifications, and estimates as may come before it, and shall make such changes in reference thereto as it considers proper.

At the hearing the board may make such changes in the boundaries of the proposed improvement district as it deems advisable and shall define and establish the boundaries, but the board shall not modify the boundaries so as to exclude from the proposed improvement district any territory which may be benefited by the improvement district, or include within the proposed improvement district any land which will not in its judgment be benefited by the formation thereof. If any additional lands are included in the proposed improvement district, the hearing of the petition shall be continued and the owners of the added lands shall be given not less than 20 days' personal notice of the addition of such lands to the improvement district.

At the hearing the board shall determine whether the petition complies with the requirements of Section 75000 and for that purpose shall hear all competent and relevant testimony in support or in opposition thereto. No defect in the form or contents of the petition or any proceeding therein shall invalidate any proceeding, but the petition shall have a sufficient number of qualified signatures attached thereto.

If more than one-third of the holders of title or evidence of title of lands within the proposed improvement district object in writing at the hearing to the formation of the proposed improvement district, the board shall deny the formation petition and no further proceedings shall be had thereon.

At the conclusion of the hearing, if the board determines that the improvement district should be formed, it shall make a final order approving the formation petition.

The order shall be entered in the minutes of the board and a copy thereof shall be recorded in the office of the county recorder of each county in which any of the lands of the improvement district are located.