Any diking district; drainage district; irrigation improvement district; intercounty diking and drainage district; diking, drainage, and/or sewerage improvement district; consolidated diking district, drainage district, diking improvement district, and/or drainage improvement district; or flood control district may reorganize as a drainage and irrigation improvement district or as a diking, drainage and irrigation improvement district in the manner provided in this chapter.

For the purpose of securing such reorganization, a petition shall be presented to the clerk of the board of county commissioners of the county in which such district is located, at a regular or special meeting of the board. The petition shall be signed by the board of commissioners of the district and shall state the number of the district seeking to reorganize, and shall pray that such district be reorganized as a drainage and irrigation improvement district or diking, drainage and irrigation improvement district.

Whenever a petition is presented as provided in RCW 85.22.020, the county legislative authority shall order an election to be held to determine if the district shall be reorganized. The county legislative authority shall specify the election date which may or may not be the same as the regular special district general election. Notice of the election shall be posted and published, and the election shall be conducted, as for any special district election. The notice shall state the number of the district so petitioning to reorganize, the place where and the time when the election is to be held. The auditor shall certify the results of the election to the county legislative authority. If the proposition to reorganize the district is approved by a simple majority vote of the voters voting on the proposition, the district shall be reorganized as either a diking improvement district or drainage improvement district upon the county legislative authority ordering the reorganization. The district shall be liable to the county for its costs incurred for the election.

The commissioners of the old district shall become the supervisors of the reorganized district and shall have all the rights and powers and be subject to all laws applicable to a diking or drainage improvement district. The supervisors shall also have the power of using such drainage ditches and equipment in the district for irrigation purposes at proper times and may adapt such ditches to such purposes by making the necessary improvements therein. The supervisors shall also have the right to purchase and install machinery, pumps and other equipment for the carrying on of such irrigation within the district. Notwithstanding such dissolution and reorganization, none of the outstanding bonds, warrants or other indebtedness of the district, shall be affected thereby; and all lands liable to be assessed to pay any of such bonds, warrants or other indebtedness shall remain liable to the same extent as if such reorganization had not been made, and any and all assessments theretofore levied or made against any such lands shall be and remain unimpaired and shall be collected in the same manner as if no such reorganization had been had. The legislative authority of the county in which such reorganized district is situated shall have all the powers possessed at the time of the reorganization by the board of commissioners of such district to levy, assess, and cause to be collected any and all assessments or charges against any of the lands within such district that may be necessary or required to provide funds for the payment of all the bonds, warrants and other indebtedness thereof.

Whenever in any district reorganized under the provisions of this chapter any bonds issued prior to such reorganization shall become payable and the county legislative authority determines that it is in the interest of the property owners of the district to have refunding bonds issued, the county legislative authority may authorize the district to issue refunding bonds in accordance with chapter 85.38 RCW.

Severability—1986 c 278: See note following RCW 36.01.010.

The board of county commissioners shall have all the powers possessed by the board of commissioners of any district reorganized under the provisions of this chapter prior to such reorganization, to levy assessments for the payment of the interest on any other bonds of the district not then payable and refunded under the provisions of this chapter, and to levy assessments to provide a sinking fund for the liquidation of such bonds at their maturity. Such assessments shall be called and collected in the manner provided by the law under which they were assessed, and such bonds shall be paid as provided by the law under which they were issued. Proper funds shall be established in the county treasury for the proceeds of the payments of such assessments, and such funds shall be applied to the payment of the bonds for the payment of which they were levied.

Whenever in any district reorganized under the provisions of this chapter, extensions or additions are made to the system of improvements of the district to provide drainage or protection from overflow for lands previously found benefited and assessed for the construction of the original system of improvement which are not receiving benefits therefrom in proportion to the benefits found and the assessments levied against such lands, the costs of such extensions or additions shall be included as a cost of maintenance of the improvements of the district and shall be levied and collected in the manner provided for the levy and collection of such costs.