Sec. 201.042. HEARING. (a) Not later than the 30th day after the day on which a petition is filed with the state board, the state board shall give notice of a hearing on:

(1) the question of the desirability and necessity of the creation of a conservation district in the interest of the public health, safety, and welfare;

(2) the question of the appropriate boundaries to be assigned to the conservation district;

(3) the propriety of the petitions and other proceedings taken under this chapter; and

(4) all questions relevant to those matters.

(b) Following notice, the state board shall conduct a hearing on the petition. Any interested person, including a person who is an eligible voter in the territory described in the petition or in the territory that is considered for addition to the described territory, is entitled to attend the hearing and be heard.

(c) If it appears at the hearing that it may be desirable to include within the conservation district territory that is outside the area within which notice has been given, the state board shall adjourn the hearing and give notice of further hearings throughout the entire area considered for inclusion in the conservation district. Following that notice, the board shall reconvene the hearing.

(d) After the hearing, if the state board, on the basis of the facts presented at the hearing and other available information, determines that there is need, in the interest of the public health, safety, and welfare, for a conservation district to function in the territory considered at the hearing, the board shall record that determination, define the boundaries of the conservation district by metes and bounds or by legal subdivisions, and conduct an election in accordance with Section 201.043 of this code. The board may not include within the defined boundaries any territory that is within the boundaries of another conservation district.

(e) In making the determination of need and defining the boundaries of the conservation district, the state board shall give due weight and consideration to:

(1) the topography of the area considered and of the state;

(2) the soil composition of the area considered and of the state;

(3) the distribution of erosion, the prevailing land-use practices, and the desirability and necessity of including within the conservation district the area under consideration;

(4) the benefits the area under consideration may receive from being included within the boundaries of the conservation district;

(5) the relation of the area considered to existing watersheds and agricultural regions and to other conservation districts in existence or proposed to be created; and

(6) other relevant physical, geographical, and economic factors, having due regard to the legislative determinations made in Section 201.001 of this code.

(f) After the hearing and consideration of the relevant facts, if the state board determines that there is no need for a conservation district to function in the territory considered at the hearing, it shall record that determination and deny the petition.

(g) The state board shall pay all expenses for the issuance of notices of the public hearings. The board shall supervise the conduct of those hearings and may adopt rules governing the conduct of the hearings.

Acts 1981, 67th Leg., p. 1465, ch. 388, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1981.