204.472.  Sewer service to be provided by agreement for certain annexed areas, procedure (Poplar Bluff, Butler County, counties of the third classification). — 1.  (1)  Whenever all or any part of a territory located within a sewer district that is located in any county of the third classification without a township form of government and with more than forty thousand eight hundred but less than forty thousand nine hundred inhabitants is included by annexation within the corporate limits of any city of the third classification with more than sixteen thousand six hundred but less than sixteen thousand seven hundred inhabitants, but is not receiving sewer service from such district or city at the time of such annexation, the city and the board of trustees of the district may, within six months after such annexation becomes effective, develop an agreement to provide sewer service to the annexed territory.  Such an agreement may also be developed for territory that was annexed between January 1, 1996, and August 28, 2002, but was not receiving sewer service from such district or such city on August 28, 2002.  For the purposes of this section, "not receiving sewer service" shall mean that no sewer services are being sold within the annexed territory by such district or city.  If the city and the board reach an agreement that detaches any territory from such district, the agreement shall be submitted to the circuit court having jurisdiction over the major portion, and the circuit court shall make an order and judgment detaching the territory described in the agreement from the remainder of the district and stating the boundary lines of the district after such detachment.  At such time that the circuit court's order and judgment becomes final, the clerk of the circuit court shall file certified copies of such order and judgment with the secretary of state and with the recorder of deeds and the county clerk of the county or counties in which the district is located.  If an agreement is developed between a city and a sewer district pursuant to this subsection, subsections 2 to 8 of this section shall not apply to such agreement.

  (2)  Whenever all or any part of a territory located within a sewer district that is located in any county of the third classification is included by annexation within the corporate limits of any city, but is not receiving sewer service from such district or city at the time of such annexation, the city and the board of trustees of the district may, within six months after such annexation becomes effective, develop an agreement to provide sewer service to the annexed territory.  Such an agreement may also be developed for territory that was annexed prior to August 28, 2010, but was not receiving sewer service from such district or such city as of August 28, 2010.  For the purposes of this section, "not receiving sewer service" shall mean that no sewer services are being sold within the annexed territory by such district or city.  If the city and the board reach an agreement that detaches any territory from such district, the agreement shall be submitted to the circuit court having jurisdiction over the major portion, and the circuit court shall make an order and judgment detaching the territory described in the agreement from the remainder of the district and stating the boundary lines of the district after such detachment.  At such time that the circuit court's order and judgment becomes final, the clerk of the circuit court shall file certified copies of such order and judgment with the secretary of state and with the recorder of deeds and the county clerk of the county or counties in which the district is located.  If an agreement is developed between a city and a sewer district pursuant to this subsection, subsections 2 to 8 of this section shall not apply to such agreement.

  2.  In the event that the board of trustees of such district and the city cannot reach such an agreement, an application may be made by the board or the city to the circuit court requesting that three commissioners develop such an agreement.  Such application shall include the name of one commissioner appointed by the applying party.  The second party shall appoint one commissioner within thirty days of the service of the application upon the second party.  If the second party fails to appoint a commissioner within such time period, the circuit court shall appoint a commissioner on behalf of the second party.  Such two named commissioners may agree to appoint a third disinterested commissioner within thirty days after the appointment of the second commissioner.  In the event that the two named commissioners cannot agree on or fail to appoint the third disinterested commissioner within thirty days after the appointment of the second commissioner, the circuit court shall appoint the third disinterested commissioner.

  3.  Upon the filing of such application and the appointment of three such commissioners, the circuit court shall set a time for one or more hearings and shall order a public notice including the nature of the application, the annexed area affected, the names of the commissioners, and the time and place of such hearings, to be published for three weeks consecutively in a newspaper published in the county in which the application is pending, the last publication to be not more than seven days before the date set for the first hearing.

  4.  The commissioners shall develop an agreement between the district and the city to provide sewer service to the annexed territory.  In developing the agreement, the commissioners shall consider information presented to them at hearings and any other information at their disposal including, but not limited to:

  (1)  The estimated future loss of revenue and costs for the sewer district related to the agreement;

  (2)  The amount of indebtedness of the sewer district within the annexed territory;

  (3)  Any contractual obligations of the sewer district within the annexed area; and

  (4)  The effect of the agreement on the sewer rates of the district.

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The agreement shall also include a recommendation for the apportionment of costs incurred pursuant to subsections 2 to 8 of this section, including reasonable compensation for the commissioners, between the city and the district.

  5.  If the circuit court finds that the agreement provides for necessary sewer service in the annexed territory, then such agreement shall be fully effective upon approval by the circuit court.  The circuit court shall also review the recommended apportionment of court costs incurred and the reasonable compensation for the commissioners and affirm or modify such recommendations.

  6.  The order and judgment of the circuit court shall be subject to appeal as provided by law.

  7.  If the circuit court approves a detachment as part of the territorial agreement, it shall make its order and judgment detaching the territory described in the application from the remainder of the district and stating the boundary lines of the district after such detachment.

  8.  At such time that the circuit court's order and judgment becomes final, the clerk of the circuit court shall file certified copies of such order and judgment with the secretary of state and with the recorder of deeds and the county clerk of the county or counties in which the district is located.

  9.  The proportion of the sum of all outstanding bonds and debt, with interest thereon, that is required to be paid to the sewer district pursuant to this section, shall be the same as the proportion of the assessed valuation of the real and tangible personal property within the area sought to be detached bears to the assessed valuation of all of the real and tangible personal property within the entire area of the sewer district.