Section 6115.68 - Union of districts(A) If two or more sanitary districts have been organized in a territory which, in the opinion of the board of directors of the sanitary district of either of the districts, should constitute only one district, the board of any of the districts may petition the court for an order uniting the districts into a single district. The petition shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the court of common pleas of that county which has the greatest valuation of real property within the districts sought to be included, as shown by the tax duplicates of the respective counties. The petition shall set forth the necessity for the union of the two or more districts and that the union of the districts would be conducive to the public health, convenience, safety, or welfare and to the economical execution of the purposes for which the districts were organized. Upon receipt of the petition, the clerk shall give notice by publication or by personal service to the boards of the districts which it is desired to unite with the district of the petitioners. The notice shall contain the time and place where the hearing on the petition will be had and the purpose of the same. The hearing shall be had in accordance with sections 6115.01 to 6115.79 of the Revised Code, as for an original hearing. If after the hearing the court finds that the averments of the petition are true and that the districts, or any of them, should be united, it shall so order, and thereafter such districts shall be united into one and proceed as such. The court shall designate the corporate name of the united district, and such further proceedings shall be taken as are provided for in such sections. Except as provided in division (B) of this section, the court shall direct in such order who shall be the members of the board of the united district, who shall thereafter have such powers and be subject to such regulations as are provided for the board in districts created in the first instance. All legal proceedings already instituted by or against any of such constituent districts may be revived and continued against the united district by an order of court substituting the name of the united district for such constituent district, and the proceedings shall then proceed as provided in such sections. Instead of organizing a new district from the constituent districts, the court may direct that one or more of the districts described in the petition be included into another of the districts which other district shall continue under its original corporate name and, except as provided in division (B) of this section, its original organization; or, except as provided in division (B) of this section, it may direct that the districts so absorbed shall be represented on the board of the original district, designating what members of the board of the original district shall be retired from the new board and what members representing the included districts shall take their places; or it may direct that the included districts shall become subdistricts of the main district. If the districts sought to be united were organized in different counties, then the court to determine the question involved shall consist of one judge from each of the counties in the court of which one of the districts was organized, and the decision of the majority of the judges shall be final. No action under this section shall interrupt or delay any proceeding under sections 6115.01 to 6115.79 of the Revised Code, until the questions involved are finally determined.
(B) If the court organizes a new district wholly for the reduction of populations of biting arthropods by uniting two or more districts organized wholly for such purpose, the advisory council appointed under division (C) of section 6115.102 of the Revised Code shall, within sixty days after the court orders the union, appoint the members of the board of directors of the united district and designate their terms in the manner prescribed in section 6115.101 of the Revised Code. If the court directs that one or more districts organized wholly for such purpose be included in another district wholly organized for such purpose, the advisory council appointed under division (C) of section 6115.102 of the Revised Code shall, within sixty days after the court directs such inclusion, select from among the members of the boards of directors of the original district and the districts so absorbed a board of five members and designate their terms in the manner prescribed in section 6115.101 of the Revised Code.Effective Date: 10/9/1981 .