(1) Transmittal to county auditor. Within fourteen calendar days after the last day of the publication of the project description, the department shall transmit a letter requesting a public advisory election and a copy of the map depicting the affected project area and the project description to the county auditor of each county in which any portion of the affected project area is located.

(2) Precinct verification. Upon receipt of the affected project area map, and the project description, the county auditor shall, within thirty days, verify the precincts that are located within the affected project area.

(3) Ballot proposition.

(a) The department shall request the office of the attorney general to prepare the ballot title and summary advising the department on the public support or opposition to the imposition of tolls or user fees to implement the preferred alternative within the affected project area in the same manner and type as those required under RCW 29.79.040 for the public advisory election.

(b) Any registered voter residing within the affected project area who is dissatisfied with the content of the ballot title or summary may appeal to the superior court of Thurston County in the same manner as provided for on state measures in RCW 29.79.060.

(c) Not later than sixty days before the election date, the department shall submit the complete text of the ballot title and summary to the county auditor for the purpose of preparing the voters pamphlet and conducting the public advisory election.

(4) Election date. Unless a special election is requested by the department, the public advisory election shall be held at the next succeeding general election to be held in the state. The special election date must be the next date for a special election provided under RCW 29.13.020 that is at least sixty days, but not more than ninety days after the transmittal of the final map of the affected project area, project description, the ballot title and summary to the county auditor under subsection (1) of this section.

(5) Voters pamphlet.

(a) The county auditor shall prepare or contract with the secretary of state to prepare the voters pamphlet in the same manner required under chapter 29.81A RCW using the full text of the ballot title, summary, the project description and the geographic boundary of the affected project together with statements for and against the imposition of tolls or user fees to finance the proposed project. Committees to prepare the statements for and against the imposition of tolls to finance the proposed project for the voters pamphlet shall be appointed in the same manner as committees for state measures under RCW 29.81.050. The secretary of state shall transmit committee names and their statements to the county auditors.

(b) The county auditor may consolidate the voters pamphlet on the public advisory election with any other local voters pamphlet that is being produced by the county auditor for an election.

(6) Reimbursement for election costs. The department shall reimburse the costs of publication and distribution of information to the voters incurred by the county auditor in the same manner that local election costs are allocated under RCW 29.13.045. The department shall reimburse the county auditor for the cost of an election.