{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-67.918","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 67.918","heading":"Question of unification to be submitted to voters -- Adoption of unification","body":"plan after approval -- Prohibition against placing rejected plan on ballot for\nfive years.\n(1) The question whether the unification plan shall be adopted shall be filed with  the\ncounty clerk not later than the second Tuesday in August preceding the day of the\nnext regular election. The plan shall be advertised at least once not later than ninety\n(90) days before the regular election at which the voters will be asked to approv e or\ndisapprove the adoption of the unification plan.\n(2) The question to be submitted to the voters shall read as follows:\n\"Are you in favor of unifying the city (or cities) of _____ and _____ County into a\nsingle government according to the unification plan adopted by the Unification\nReview Commission?\"\n(3) (a) Subject to the restrictions in paragraph (b) of this subsection, for the\nunification plan to be adopted, it shall require both a majority of those\nresidents voting within the unincorporated area o f the county to vote in favor\nof its adoption, and:\n1. A majority of those residents voting within the city containing the\nlargest population in the county, based on the most recent decennial\ncensus, to vote in favor of its adoption; or\n2. A majority of th ose residents voting, pursuant to paragraph (b) of this\nsubsection, within cities that together contain at least fifty percent (50%)\nof the population residing within the incorporated areas of the county,\nbased on the most recent decennial census, to vote in favor of its\nadoption.\n(b) 1. The votes shall be counted within each city to determine whether the\nmajority of voters within each city are in favor of the adoption of the\nunification plan.\n2. Each city where the majority of those voting are in favor of adopting the\nunification plan shall participate in the unified local government, subject\nto the requirements of paragraph (a) of this subsection.\n3. Each city where the majority of those voting are not in favor of adopting\nthe unification plan:\na. Shall not participate in the unified local government;\nb. Shall remain incorporated unless dissolved in accordance with\nKRS 81.094 and shall continue to exercise all powers and perform\nthe functions permitted by the Constitution and general laws of the\nCommonwealth of Kentucky applicable to the cities of the clas s to\nwhich they have been assigned; and\nc. Shall allow eligible voters within the city to vote for the chief\nexecutive officer of the unified local government and the relevant\nlegislative body member or members of the unified local\ngovernment for the area including the nonparticipating city.\n(4) The votes shall be counted, returns made, and canvassed in accordance with the\nprovisions of KRS Chapters 116 to 121 governing elections, and the results shall be\ncertified by the county board of election commission ers to the county clerk. If a\nmajority of those voting on the issue are in favor of forming a unified local\ngovernment, the county board of election commissioners shall enter the fact of\nrecord and the unified local government shall be organized as provide d in the\nunification plan.\n(5) An adopted unification plan shall take effect January 1 following the election of\nofficers to fill elective offices created by the unification plan. Officers shall be\nelected in the regular election in the next even-numbered year following adoption of\nthe unification plan.\n(6) If the question whether the unification plan shall be adopted is rejected by a\nmajority of the electorate, the question is defeated and cannot be voted on again for\nfive (5) years from the date of certification of the election results.","path":["KRS Chapter 67"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=41121","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:49:27Z","sha256":"ee410943eeeb7ce32a0a6e9f6f6e1e19a127843d163a36f8b8460d4e44fcb466","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-67.916","next":"us-ky/krs-67.920"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}