§7-12A-3. Petition to establish maintenance association.
(a) A petition in writing may be made to the county commission that duly verifies that sixty percent of the persons owning property on both sides of any orphan road, subdivision road, state road or public road in any unincorporated area request the approval of the formation of a maintenance association. The petition shall be accompanied by the proposed maintenance association's recordable documents that establish the association.
(b) Upon the filing of such petition and the proposed maintenance association documents, the county commission shall fix a time and place for hearing protests and shall require the petitioners to post notice of such hearing in at least two conspicuous places on the state road, public road, orphan road or subdivision road of the area affected, and to give notice thereof by publication of such notice as a Class I legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of article three, chapter fifty-nine of this code. The publication area for such publication shall be the county in which the maintenance association shall be located. The hearing shall be held not less than ten nor more than thirty days after the filing of such petition.
(c) At the time and place set for hearing protests, the county commission may examine witnesses and consider other evidence to show that:
(1) Said petition was filed in good faith;
(2) The signatures on the petition are genuine;
(3) The maintenance association document addresses the maintenance association purpose; and
(4) The proposed maintenance association will result in special benefits to all owners of residential property abutting on said orphan road, subdivision road, state road or public road.
The commission shall within ten days thereafter enter a formal order stating its decision.
(d) Any owner of residential property abutting upon said orphan road, subdivision road, state road or public road aggrieved by such order shall have the right to review the order on the record made before the county commission by filing a petition with the clerk of the circuit court within ten days after the entry of such order. The owner shall give bond in an amount to be fixed by the circuit court sufficient to pay costs or expenses incurred by the court and the maintenance association upon appeal if the order of the county commission is affirmed. The circuit court shall proceed to review the matter as in other appeals from the county commission.
