85-9-501. Merger of districts. (1) In case two or more districts have been organized in a territory that, in the opinion of the directors of each of the districts, should constitute but one district, the directors of the districts may petition the court for an order merging the districts into a single district. The petition must be filed in the office of the clerk of the district court in and for that county which has the largest portion of taxable valuation of property within the districts sought to be included, as shown by the tax rolls of the respective counties. The petition shall set forth facts showing that the purposes of this chapter would be served by the merging of the districts and that the merger would promote the economical execution of the purposes for which the districts were organized. A copy of the petition must be filed with the department.

(2) Upon the filing of the petition, the court shall by order fix a time and place of hearing, and the clerk shall give notice as provided in 7-1-2121 and also notify by mail the directors of the districts that would be merged. The notice must contain the purpose, time, and the place of the hearing.

(3) Upon the hearing, if the court finds that the averments of the petition are true and that the districts or any of them could feasibly and profitably be merged, it shall order that the merger must take place and the districts must be merged into one district and proceed as such. The court shall designate the corporate name of the district, and further proceedings must be taken as provided for in this chapter. The court shall by order appoint the directors of the district, who shall thereafter have powers and be subject to rules as are provided for directors in districts created in the first instance.

(4) Instead of organizing a new district from the constituent districts, the court may, in its discretion, direct that one or more of the districts described in the petition be included in another of the districts, which other shall continue under its original corporate name and organization, or the court may direct that the district or districts so absorbed must be represented on the directors of the original districts, designating what members of the directors of the original district shall retire from the new board and what members representing the included district or districts shall take their places.

(5) If the court receives a petition opposing the merger, signed by a majority of the electors of any of the concerned districts, the court shall not grant the order and shall dismiss the petition.

(6) Upon merger or inclusion, existing obligations shall remain exclusively with those who bore them prior to the merger or inclusion, except with the written consent, given prior to the merger or inclusion, of those who did not bear the obligations.