KRS 67.830: Procedure for adoption of charter county form of government or for

consolidation of services or functions.

(1) The fiscal court in any county, except in a county containing a consolidated local

government, a city of the first class, an urban -county government or a unified local

government, and a majority of all cities within the county may adopt an ordinance to

study the question of merging the county government with all other units of local

government within the county to form a charter county form o f government, or

consolidating any agency, subdivision, department, or subdistrict providing any

services or performing any functions for a city or county.

(2) In lieu of the adoption of an ordinance pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, a

petition may be filed with the county clerk pursuant to KRS 67.832 requesting the

appointment of a commission to study the question of the adoption of a charter

county form of government or the consolidation of any agency, subdivision,

department, or subdistrict pro viding any services or performing any functions for a

city or county. The petition shall be signed by a number of registered voters equal to

at least twenty percent (20%) of the residents in the unincorporated area of the

county voting in the preceding reg ular election and twenty percent (20%) of the

residents in incorporated areas of the county voting in the preceding regular

election.

(3) Within sixty (60) days of the adoption of an ordinance pursuant to subsection (1) of

this section, or within sixty (60 ) days of a petition being filed with the county clerk

pursuant to subsection (2) of this section and certified as sufficient pursuant to KRS

67.832, the fiscal court and the city legislative body of each city within the county

shall jointly appoint a commission to study the question of the adoption of a charter

county form of government or the consolidation of any agency, subdivision,

department, or subdistrict providing any services or performing any functions for a

city or county. The fiscal court shall determine the size of the membership of the

commission, which shall be composed of not less than twenty (20) or more than

forty (40) citizen members, and which may include elected or appointed county and

city officials. Any officials appointed under this s ection shall serve as voting

members of the commission. The actual appointment of individual members to the

commission shall be governed by the following provisions:

(a) The county judge/executive, with the approval of the fiscal court, shall make a

number of appointments equal to fifty -five percent (55%) of the membership

of the commission;

(b) Jointly, the cities shall make a number of appointments equal to forty -five

percent (45%) of the membership of the commission. The mayor of each city

shall, subject to the approval of the city legislative body, make a number of

appointments based on the ratio that the percentage of the population residing

in the mayor's city bears to the total population of all cities in the county. Each

city within the county shall have a minimum of one (1) representative on the

commission; and

(c) The county judge/executive shall serve as a voting member of the commission

and preside as its chairman.

(4) The commission shall be funded by the fiscal court and each city within the cou nty

in proportion to its ratio of membership on the commission and shall be responsible

for developing a comprehensive plan for the consolidation of services and functions

of cities and the county, or the formation of a charter county government that shall

include but not be limited to the following provisions:

(a) A description of the form, structure, functions, powers, and name of the

proposed charter county government;

(b) A description of the officers and their powers and duties of the proposed

charter county government;

(c) The procedures by which the original comprehensive plan may be amended by

the subsequently created charter county government;

(d) The procedures by which the comprehensive plan may be amended by county

and participating city or citie s as a result of contingencies arising from the

failure of certain jurisdictions to vote in favor of joining the comprehensive

plan. The contingency plan shall be adopted by the participating county and

city or cities by joint ordinance. The contingency pl an shall be adopted by the

participating county and city or cities within sixty (60) days of the certification

of the election result. The contingency plan shall only address:

1. Issues of revenue;

2. Issues of indebtedness;

3. Issues of service provision, service areas, or service area boundaries;

4. Personnel or administration, but may not infringe upon any pre -existing

collective bargaining agreements in force in participating jurisdictions;

and

5. Any issues directly related to the cost of government or provision of

services within the comprehensive plan.

The contingency plan shall not address issues within the plan related to

paragraph (a), (b), or (c) of this subsection; and

(e) The procedures whereby the charter county gov ernment may be dissolved.

The procedures drafted shall include but are not limited to:

1. Requirements for a public petition for the dissolution of the charter

county government;

2. The question to be presented to voters for the dissolution of the charter

county government; and

3. Any administrative measures necessary to settle tax and debt issues

created by the dissolution of the charter county government.

The proposed charter plan shall specify that no petition for the dissolution of

the charter county g overnment shall be valid until a period of five (5) years

have passed from commencement of the first terms of the duly elected officers

of the charter county government.

(5) The comprehensive plan shall be completed within four (4) years of the

commission's appointment. If a majority of the commission members are unable to

agree on a single plan for the formation of a charter county government or the

consolidation of services or functions within four (4) years of the appointment of

the commission, the commi ssion shall be disbanded unless two -thirds (2/3) of the

commission agree to extend the commission for no longer than six (6) months.

(6) The comprehensive plan shall be consistent with the provisions of the Constitution

of Kentucky and shall be advertised at least ninety (90) days before a regular

election at which the voters will be asked to approve or disapprove the adoption of

the comprehensive plan. The question of whether the comprehensive plan shall be

adopted shall be filed with the county clerk not later than the second Tuesday in

August preceding the day of the next regular election.

(7) The comprehensive plan proposed shall be presented to the voters at a regular

election and:

(a) The votes shall be counted, returns made and canvassed in accordance with

the provisions of KRS Chapters 116 to 121 governing elections;

(b) The results shall be certified by the county board of election commissioners to

the county clerk; and

(c) If a majority of those voting on the issue within each area as required by

subsections (8) and (9) of this section are in favor of adopting the

comprehensive plan, the county board of election commissioners shall enter

the fact of record, and the charter county commission shall organize the

charter county government or the county a nd each participating city shall

provide for the consolidation of services or functions as provided in the

comprehensive plan.

(8) Subject to the restrictions in subsection (9) of this section, for the comprehensive

plan to be adopted, it shall require bot h a majority of those residents voting within

the unincorporated area of the county to vote in favor of its adoption, and:

(a) A majority of those residents voting within the city containing the largest

population in the county, based on the most recent decennial census, to vote in

favor of its adoption; or

(b) A majority of those residents voting, pursuant to subsection (9) of this section,

within cities that together contain at least fifty percent (50%) of the population

residing within the incorporated a reas of the county, based on the most recent

decennial census, to vote in favor of its adoption.

(9) (a) The votes shall be counted within each city to determine whether the majority

of voters within each city are in favor of the adoption of the comprehens ive

plan.

(b) Each city where the majority of those voting are in favor of adopting the

comprehensive plan shall participate in the charter county government, subject

to the requirements of subsection (8) of this section.

(c) Each city where the majority o f those voting are not in favor of adopting the

comprehensive plan:

1. Shall not participate in the charter county government;

2. Shall remain incorporated unless dissolved in accordance with KRS

81.094 and shall continue to exercise all powers and perform the

functions permitted by the Constitution and general laws of the

Commonwealth of Kentucky applicable to the cities of the class to

which they have been assigned; and

3. Shall allow eligible voters within the city to vote for the chief executive

officer of the charter county government and the relevant legislative

body member or members of the charter county government for the area

including the nonparticipating city.

(10) If the comprehensive plan is not adopted, the same proposal shall not be submitted

for voter consideration for a period of five (5) years from the date of the election

wherein the comprehensive plan failed to receive the requisite votes.