Sec. 2. (a) If the resident voters in a specified territory in two (2) or more contiguous counties desire to change the boundaries of their respective counties, they may file a petition with the executives of their respective counties requesting that the territory be transferred. The petition must:

(1) be signed by at least the number of voters resident in the territory requested to be transferred required to place a candidate on the ballot under IC 3-8-6-3;

(2) contain a clear, distinct description of the requested boundary change; and

(3) not propose to decrease the area of any county below four hundred (400) square miles in compliance with Article 15, Section 7 of the Constitution of the State of Indiana.

(b) Whenever a petition under subsection (a) is filed with a county executive, the executive shall determine, at its first meeting after the petition is filed:

(1) whether the signatures on the petition are genuine; and

(2) whether the petition complies with subsection (a).

(c) If the determinations under subsection (b) are affirmative, the executive shall certify the question to the county election board of each affected county. The county election boards shall jointly order a special election to be held, scheduling the election so that the election is held on the same date in each county interested in the change, but not later than thirty (30) days and not on the same date as a general election. The election shall be conducted under IC 3-10-8-6. All voters of each interested county are entitled to vote on the question. The question shall be placed on the ballot in the form prescribed by IC 3-10-9-4 and must state "Shall the boundaries of __________ County and ____________ County change?".

(d) After an election under subsection (c), the clerk of each county shall make a certified copy of the election returns and not later than five (5) days after the election file the copy with the auditor of the county. The auditor shall, not later than five (5) days after the filing of the returns in the auditor's office, make a true and complete copy of the returns, certified under the auditor's hand and seal, and deposit the copy with the auditor of every other county interested in the change.

(e) After copies have been filed under subsection (d), the auditor of each county shall call a meeting of the executive of the county, which shall examine the returns. If a majority of the voters of each interested county voted in favor of change, the executive shall:

(1) enter an order declaring their boundaries to be changed as described in the petition; and

(2) if the county has received territory from the transfer, adopt revised descriptions of:

(A) county commissioner districts under IC 36-2-2-4; and

(B) county council districts under IC 36-2-3-4;

so that the transferred territory is assigned to at least one (1) county commissioner district and at least one (1) county council district.

(f) The executive of each county shall file a copy of the order described in subsection (e)(1) with:

(1) the office of the secretary of state; and

(2) the circuit court clerk of the county.

Except as provided in subsection (g), the transfer of territory becomes effective when the last county order is filed under this subsection.

(g) An order declaring county boundaries to be changed may not take effect during the year preceding a year in which a federal decennial census is conducted. An order that would otherwise take effect during the year preceding a year in which a federal decennial census is conducted takes effect January 1 of the year in which a federal decennial census is conducted.

(h) An election under this section may be held only once every three (3) years.

(i) Notwithstanding subsection (g) as that subsection existed on December 31, 2009, a boundary change that took effect January 2, 2010, because of the application of subsection (g), as that subsection existed on December 31, 2009, is instead considered to take effect January 1, 2010, without an amended order or any other additional action being required.

[Pre-Local Government Recodification Citations: 17-1-12-1; 17-1-12-2.]

As added by Acts 1980, P.L.212, SEC.1. Amended by P.L.5-1986, SEC.32; P.L.3-1987, SEC.541; P.L.5-1989, SEC.85; P.L.12-1995, SEC.126; P.L.3-1997, SEC.450; P.L.2-1998, SEC.82; P.L.123-2000, SEC.1; P.L.113-2010, SEC.113.