§ 14-387-401 - Authority and procedure generally. - Arkansas Statutes

14-387-401. Authority and procedure generally.

(a) In all counties in this state where a majority of the area of the county has been created into a stock law district, or where any portion of a county has been created into a stock law district, by an act of the General Assembly prohibiting the running at large of certain designated livestock within a prescribed area and providing penalties for it and the act provides that other townships may become attached to and made a part of the stock law district by a majority petition of qualified electors of their respective townships to the county judge, who shall declare the townships attached to the original territory described in the act, it shall be lawful for any township, or part of a township in the county, whether it is contiguous or adjoining the original stock law district or not, to be made a part of the stock law district and subject to all provisions of the original act, as to the kind of stock running at large in it and the penalties for violations of the original act, upon a majority of the qualified electors residing in the territory to be affected, and named or described in the petition, filing with the county clerk a petition, describing the township, or parts of it, and requesting that the territory described in it be made a part of the original stock law district theretofore created by the General Assembly for parts of the county.

(b) (1) The county court of any such county, upon finding that the petition correctly described the territory or names the townships to be affected and contains a majority of the qualified electors residing in the territory to be affected, shall make an order naming the township and describing the part of any township included, if only a part of a township is to be included, naming the kind of livestock prohibited from running at large in it and declaring the territory described in the order to be a part of the original stock law district of the county and subject to all the provisions and penalties of the original act as fully as though described in the original act of the General Assembly.

(2) (A) The order shall be effective from and after the date of the order.

(B) (i) Notice of the order shall be given by publication of it in some newspaper published in the county.

(ii) The costs of the order and publication shall be paid by petitioners.