1. (1) Within 30 days after the filing of a petition under Sections 17B-1-504 and 17B-1-506, the board of trustees of the special district in which the area proposed to be withdrawn is located shall:

   1. (a)

      1. (i) as necessary and with the assistance of the county clerk of the county in which the area proposed to be withdrawn is located, use the procedures described in Section 20A-1-1002 to determine whether a signer is a registered voter; and
      2. (ii) with the assistance of officers of the county in which the area proposed to be withdrawn is located, determine whether the petition meets the requirements of Sections 17B-1-504 and 17B-1-506; and

   2. (b)

      1. (i) if the petition complies with the requirements set forth in Sections 17B-1-504 and 17B-1-506, certify the petition and mail or deliver written notification of the certification to the contact sponsor; or
      2. (ii) if the petition fails to comply with any of the requirements set forth in Sections 17B-1-504 and 17B-1-506, reject the petition as insufficient and mail or deliver written notification of the rejection and the reasons for the rejection to the contact sponsor.

2. (2)

   1. (a) If the board rejects the petition under Subsection (1)(b)(ii), the petition may be amended to correct the deficiencies for which it was rejected and then refiled within 60 days after notice of the rejection.
   2. (b) A valid signature on a petition that was rejected under Subsection (1)(b)(ii) may be used toward fulfilling the applicable signature requirement for an amended petition refiled under Subsection (2)(a).
3. (3) The board of trustees shall process an amended petition refiled under Subsection (2)(a) in the same manner as an original petition under Subsection (1). If an amended petition is rejected for failure to comply with the requirements of Sections 17B-1-504 and 17B-1-506, the board of trustees shall issue a final rejection of the petition for insufficiency and mail or deliver written notice of the final rejection to the contact sponsor.

4. (4)

   1. (a) A signer of a petition for which there has been a final rejection under Subsection (3) for insufficiency may seek judicial review of the board of trustees' final decision to reject the petition as insufficient.
   2. (b) Judicial review under Subsection (4)(a) shall be initiated by filing an action in state district court in the county in which a majority of the area proposed to be withdrawn is located.

   3. (c) The court in which an action is filed under this Subsection (4) may not overturn the board of trustees' decision to reject the petition unless the court finds that:

      1. (i) the board of trustees' decision was arbitrary or capricious; or
      2. (ii) the petition materially complies with the requirements set forth in Sections 17B-1-504 and 17B-1-506.
   4. (d) The court may award costs and expenses of an action under this section, including reasonable attorney fees, to the prevailing party.

Amended by Chapter 15, 2023 General Session