Section 36-8-11-5.1 - Multiple county district; establishment of district(a) This section applies to a district that consists of a municipality located in two (2) counties.(b) This section does not apply to a merged district under section 23 of this chapter.(c) Freeholders within the proposed district who desire the establishment of a fire protection district must initiate proceedings by filing a petition to establish the district with the county auditor of the county where the freeholder's land is located. Sections 6 and 7 of this chapter apply to a petition filed under this section. The number of freeholders who signed a petition shall be certified by the county auditor of the county that is the subject of the petition. If a petition is filed in both counties, the county auditor of the secondary county shall forward the petition to the primary county.(d) The county auditor of the primary county shall present the petition to the legislative body of the primary county at its next regularly scheduled meeting or at a special meeting called for that purpose. Before or at the meeting, the legislative body shall determine whether the petition bears the necessary signatures and complies with requirements as to form and content. The legislative body may not dismiss a petition with the requisite signatures because of alleged defects without permitting amendments to correct errors in form or content.(e) In determining whether the signers of a petition are freeholders, the names as they appear on the tax duplicates are prima facie evidence of the ownership of land.(f) If the legislative body of the primary county determines that the petition conforms to the requirements of this chapter, the primary county or the secondary county, or both, may set a date for a public hearing on whether a fire protection district should, as a matter of public policy, be established in the area proposed in the petition. The district is established when both legislative bodies adopt an identical ordinance or resolution establishing the district.As added by P.L. 36-2000, SEC.5.