The submission of a ballot
proposal to the voters of two or more contiguous cities for the
consolidation of these contiguous cities may also be caused by
the filing of a petition with the legislative body of each such
city, signed by the voters of each city in number equal to not
less than ten percent of voters who voted in the city at the last
general municipal election therein, seeking consolidation of such
contiguous cities. A copy of the petition shall be forwarded
immediately by each city to the auditor of the county or counties
within which that city is located.
The county auditor or auditors shall determine the
sufficiency of the signatures in each petition within ten days of
receipt of the copies and immediately notify the cities proposed
to be consolidated of the sufficiency. If each of the petitions
is found to have sufficient valid signatures, the auditor or
auditors shall call a special election at which the question of
whether such cities shall consolidate shall be submitted to the
voters of each of such cities. If a general election is to be
held more than ninety days but not more than one hundred eighty
days after the filing of the last petition, the question shall be
submitted at that election. Otherwise the question shall be
submitted at a special election to be called for that purpose at
the next special election date, as specified in *RCW 29.13.020,
that occurs ninety or more days after the date when the last
petition was filed.
If each of the petitions is found to have sufficient valid
signatures, the auditor or auditors also shall notify the county
legislative authority of each county in which the cities are
located of the proposed consolidation.
Petitions shall conform with the requirements for form
prescribed in RCW 35A.01.040, except different colored paper may
be used on petitions circulated in the different cities. A legal
description of the cities need not be included in the petitions.
[1995 c 196 § 7; 1985 c 281 § 5.]
NOTES:
*Reviser's note: RCW 29.13.020 was recodified as RCW 29A.04.330 pursuant to 2003 c 111 § 2401, effective July 1, 2004.