A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO authorize the guilford county commissioners to call a special election in that portion of the area encompassing the stokesdale fire protection district that lies in guilford county for the purpose of submitting to the qualified voters therein the question of increasing the allowable special tax for fire protection within that district from ten cents on the one hundred dollars valuation to fifteen cents on the one hundred dollars valuation on all taxable property within such district upon receipt of a request to do so by the town council of stokesdale.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 69‑25.1 reads as rewritten:
"§ 69‑25.1.  Election to be held upon petition of voters.
Upon the petition of thirty‑five percent (35%) of the resident freeholders living in an area lying outside the corporate limits of any city or town, which area is described in the petition and designated as "___________________________
	(Here insert name)
Fire District," the board of county commissioners of the county shall call a special election in said district for the purpose of submitting to the qualified voters therein the question of levying and collecting a special tax on all taxable property in said district, of not exceeding fifteen cents (15¢) on the one hundred dollars ($100.00) valuation of property, for the purpose of providing fire protection in said district. The county tax office shall be responsible for checking the freeholder status of those individuals signing the petition and confirming the location of the property owned by those individuals. Unless specifically excluded by other law, the provisions of Chapter 163 of the General Statutes concerning petitions for referenda and special elections shall apply. If the voters reject the special tax under the first paragraph of this section, then no new election may be held under the first paragraph of this section within two years on the question of levying and collecting a special tax under the first paragraph of this section in that district, or in any proposed district which includes a majority of the land within the district in which the tax was rejected.
Upon adoption of a resolution by the Town Council of the Town of Stokesdale requesting a special election for the purposes described in this section, the board of county commissioners of Guilford County may call a special election in that portion of the area encompassing the Stokesdale Fire Protection District that lies in Guilford County for the purpose of submitting to the qualified voters therein the question of increasing the allowable special tax for fire protection within said district from ten cents (10ȼ) on the one hundred dollars ($100.00) valuation to fifteen cents (15ȼ) on the one hundred dollars ($100.00) valuation on all taxable property within such district. Special elections on the question of increasing the allowable tax rate for fire protection shall not be held within the same district at intervals less than two years."
SECTION 2.  This act applies to Guilford County only.
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.