Section 61-24-16 - County may be excluded from conservancy district if not benefited1. Any county in the conservancy district not benefited or not to be benefited, in whole or in part, by the establishment of the Garrison diversion unit of the Missouri River basin project as authorized by Act of Congress, approved December 22, 1944 [58 Stat. 887], and acts amendatory thereof or supplementary thereto, may be excluded from the district as provided herein. The board of county commissioners of any such county may by resolution direct the county auditor and the chairman of the board to file with the board of directors of the conservancy district a petition, for and on behalf of the county, requesting the board of directors of the district to exclude such county therefrom. A certified copy of the resolution of the county board shall accompany and be filed with such petition. The petition and resolution shall state specific reasons why such county will not be benefited by the establishment and development of the Garrison diversion unit.2. Within sixty days from the date of filing said resolution and petition for exclusion from the district, the district board shall meet to consider such petition. It may grant such petition or it may fix a time and place for a hearing thereon. If a hearing be set, the secretary of the board shall cause notice of the filing of such petition for exclusion, and of the time and place for a hearing, to be published once each week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation printed in the district. The hearing mentioned in such notice shall be held not less than ten nor more than twenty days after the last publication of such notice. The notice shall state that any person, corporation, limited liability company, municipality, and county in the district may appear or be represented at the hearing and show cause why the petition should or should not be granted. The board shall hear the petition at the time and place mentioned in the notice.3. If after the hearing on the petition the district board of directors shall determine that the county requesting to be excluded from the district will not be benefited, the district board shall by resolution grant the petition and shall direct the chairman and secretary to execute the order of the board excluding such county from the conservancy district. If, however, the district board shall decide that such county will be benefited it shall deny the petition and direct the chairman and secretary to execute its order refusing to exclude such county from the district. A county excluded from the conservancy district shall not be liable for any obligations thereof incurred after exclusion but shall be liable for and shall pay to the district taxes levied before exclusion.4. If any contract shall have been made with the United States or any agency thereof before such petition is filed, such petition shall not be granted unless consented thereto by the appropriate agency of the United States and if such agency gives its consent upon condition, such conditions shall be included in the order of exclusion and the county may be required to and in that event such county shall continue to pay any tax levies required to meet the obligations of any such contract.