2023 Montana Code Annotated › Title 85. Water Use › Chapter 7. Irrigation Districts › Part 4. Subdistricts › 85-7-404. Review of petition -- creation of irrigation subdistrict

85-7-404. Review of petition -- creation of irrigation subdistrict.
(1) After the hearing on the creation of the proposed subdistrict, the board of commissioners shall by resolution create the subdistrict if it finds that:
(a) the petition substantially complies with the provisions of 85-7-401; and
(b) it is in the best interests of the holders of title or evidence of title in the subdistrict and the district to establish the subdistrict.
(2) The board shall describe in the resolution the land to be included in the subdistrict. The land does not need to be contiguous but must be located within the district.
(3) In creating the subdistrict proposed by the petition, the board may alter the geographic area of the subdistrict or the scope or type of irrigation improvements to be undertaken in or for the benefit of the subdistrict, subject to the following conditions:
(a) The board may not include within the subdistrict land not identified by the petition as part of the proposed subdistrict unless notice and hearing on the addition are provided according to 85-7-402 and 85-7-403.
(b) The board may not exclude land from the proposed subdistrict if:
(i) the land can be irrigated from the same general source and by the same general system of works proposed for other land in the subdistrict; and
(ii) the owner or owners of the land file a written statement with the board requesting that the land be included in the subdistrict.
(c) The board shall exclude land from the proposed subdistrict if it determines that:
(i) the land will not benefit from irrigation obtained from the works of the proposed subdistrict; or
(ii) the land has appurtenant water rights or can be irrigated from sources more feasible than the proposed subdistrict and the owner or owners of the land have not filed a written statement with the board consenting to inclusion of the land in the subdistrict.
(4) For purposes of including or excluding land from a proposed subdistrict, the board of commissioners may subdivide any tract into 40-acre or smaller parcels.
(5) The creation of a subdistrict by the board of commissioners is conclusive on all owners of land within the subdistrict unless, within 30 days after adoption by the board of the resolution establishing the subdistrict, a holder of title or evidence of title to land within the subdistrict petitions the district court of the county in which the greater portion of the proposed subdistrict is located, for review of the creation of the subdistrict. Upon the timely filing of a petition for review of the creation of the subdistrict, the district court shall conduct a hearing and shall issue a decision in substantially the same manner required for review of a petition for an irrigation district under 85-7-105 through 85-7-108. The district court shall base its decision on whether the requirements of 85-7-401 through 85-7-403 and subsections (1) through (4) of this section have been met.
(6) A proceeding initiated in the district court for review of the validity of the bond issue or issues to finance the irrigation improvements to be undertaken in the subdistrict may be consolidated with a proceeding initiated under this section. Any indebtedness or liability incurred by the board of commissioners of the district with respect to or on behalf of a subdistrict, including bonds issued by the district, may not constitute a charge or lien on any land in the district except the land within the subdistrict.
History: En. Sec. 4, Ch. 439, L. 1989.