Sec. 17. (a) When the authority, the board of trustees or board of managers of the hospital, the board of commissioners of the county, and a majority of the county council have agreed upon the terms and conditions of any lease proposed to be entered into under section 13 or 14 of this chapter, and before the final execution of the lease, the county auditor shall give notice by publication of a public hearing to be held in the county by the board of commissioners. The hearing shall take place on a day not earlier than ten (10) days after the publication of the notice. The notice of the hearing shall be published one (1) time in a newspaper of general circulation printed in the English language and published in the county. The notice shall do the following:

(1) Name the day, place, and hour of the hearing.

(2) Set forth a brief summary of the principal terms of the lease agreed upon, including the character and location of the property to be leased, the lease rental to be paid, and the number of years the contract is to be in effect.

(3) State a location where the proposed lease, drawings, plans, specifications, and estimates may be examined.

The proposed lease and the drawings, plans, specifications, and estimates of construction cost for the building shall be open to inspection by the public during the ten (10) day period and at the hearing. All interested persons shall have a right to be heard at the hearing on the necessity for the execution of the lease and whether the lease rental under the lease is fair and reasonable. The hearing may be adjourned to a later date with the place of the hearing fixed before adjournment. Following the hearing, the board of commissioners may either authorize the execution of the lease as originally agreed upon or may make modifications that are agreed upon by the authority, the board of trustees or board of managers of the hospital, and the county council. The authorization shall be by an order that is entered in the official records of the board of commissioners. The lease contract shall be executed on behalf of the county by the board of commissioners.

(b) If the execution of the lease as originally agreed upon or as modified by agreement is authorized, notice of the signing of the lease shall be given on behalf of the county by publication one (1) time in a newspaper of general circulation printed in the English language and published in the county. Except as provided in subsection (d), ten (10) or more taxpayers in the county whose tax rate will be affected by the proposed lease and who may be of the opinion that no necessity exists for the execution of the lease or that the lease rental under the lease is not fair and reasonable may file a petition in the office of the county auditor, within thirty (30) days after publication of notice of the execution of the lease, that sets forth the taxpayers' objections and facts supporting those objections. Upon the filing of a petition, the county auditor shall immediately certify a copy of the petition together with any other data as may be necessary in order to present the questions involved to the department of local government finance. Upon receipt of the certified petition and information, the department of local government finance shall fix a time and place in the affected county for the hearing of the matter that is not less than five (5) or more than fifteen (15) days after receipt. Notice of the hearing shall be given by the department of local government finance to the board of county commissioners and to the first ten (10) taxpayer petitioners upon the petition by certified mail sent to the addresses listed on the petition at least five (5) days before the date of the hearing.

(c) No action to contest the validity of the lease or to enjoin the performance of any of the terms and conditions of the lease shall be instituted at any time later than thirty (30) days after publication of notice of the execution of the lease, or, if an appeal has been taken to the department of local government finance, within thirty (30) days after the decision of the department.

(d) The authority for taxpayers to object to a proposed lease under subsection (b) does not apply if the authority complies with the procedures for the issuance of bonds and other evidence of indebtedness described in IC 6-1.1-20.

As added by P.L.189-2018, SEC.25.