The election on the formation of the metropolitan municipal corporation shall be conducted by the auditor of the central county in accordance with the general election laws of the state and the results thereof shall be canvassed by the county canvassing board of the central county, which shall certify the result of the election to the county legislative authority of the central county, and shall cause a certified copy of such canvass to be filed in the office of the secretary of state. Notice of the election shall be published in one or more newspapers of general circulation in each component county in the manner provided in the general election laws. No person shall be entitled to vote at such election unless that person is a qualified voter under the laws of the state in effect at the time of such election and has resided within the metropolitan area for at least thirty days preceding the date of the election. The ballot proposition shall be in substantially the following form:

"FORMATION OF METROPOLITAN

MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

Shall a metropolitan municipal corporation be established for the area described in a resolution of the county legislative authority of . . . . . . county adopted on the . . . . day of . . . . . ., (year) . . . ., to perform the metropolitan functions of . . . . . . (here insert the title of each of the functions to be authorized as set forth in the petition or initial resolution).

If a majority of the persons voting on the proposition residing within the central city shall vote in favor thereof and a majority of the persons voting on the proposition residing in the metropolitan area outside of the central city shall vote in favor thereof, the metropolitan municipal corporation shall thereupon be established and the county legislative authority of the central county shall adopt a resolution setting a time and place for the first meeting of the metropolitan council which shall be held not later than sixty days after the date of such election. A copy of such resolution shall be transmitted to the legislative body of each component city and county and of each special district which shall be affected by the particular metropolitan functions authorized.

At the same election there shall be submitted to the voters residing within the metropolitan area, for their approval or rejection, a proposition authorizing the metropolitan municipal corporation, if formed, to levy at the earliest time permitted by law on all taxable property located within the metropolitan municipal corporation a general tax, for one year, of twenty-five cents per thousand dollars of assessed value in excess of any constitutional or statutory limitation for authorized purposes of the metropolitan municipal corporation. The proposition shall be expressed on the ballots in substantially the following form:

"ONE YEAR TWENTY-FIVE CENTS

PER THOUSAND DOLLARS OF

ASSESSED VALUE LEVY

Shall the metropolitan municipal corporation, if formed, levy a general tax of twenty-five cents per thousand dollars of assessed value for one year upon all the taxable property within said corporation in excess of the constitutional and/or statutory tax limits for authorized purposes of the corporation?

Such proposition to be effective must be approved by a majority of at least three-fifths of the persons voting on the proposition to levy such tax, with a forty percent validation requirement, in the manner set forth in Article VII, section 2(a) of the Constitution of this state.

Severability—Effective dates—Construction—1973 1st ex.s. c 195: See notes following RCW 84.52.043.

Canvassing the returns, generally: Chapter 29A.60 RCW.

Conduct of elections—Canvass: RCW 29A.60.010.