Section 358C.5. Date and notice of hearing.

  1.  The board of supervisors to which the petition is addressed, at its next meeting, shall set the time and place for a hearing on the petition. The board shall direct the county auditor in whose office the petition is filed to cause notice to be given to all persons whom it may concern, without naming them, of the pendency and content of the petition, by publication of a notice as provided in section 331.305. Proof of giving the notice shall be made by affidavit of the publisher and the proof shall be on file with the county auditor at the time the hearing begins. The notice of hearing shall be directed to all persons it may concern, and shall state:

  a.  That a petition has been filed with the county auditor of the county, naming it, for establishment of a proposed district, and the name of the proposed district.

  b.  An intelligible description of the boundaries of the territory to be embraced in the district.

  c.  The date, hour, and the place where the petition will be brought for hearing before the board of supervisors of the named county.

  d.  That the board of supervisors will fix and determine the boundaries of the proposed district as described in the petition or otherwise, and for that purpose may alter and amend the petition. At the hearing all interested persons shall have an opportunity to be heard on the location and boundaries of the proposed district and to make suggestions regarding the location and boundaries.

  e.  That, in the case of a petition under section 358C.3, subsection 2, a property owner who was not known and who did not sign the petition and who does not object to the proposed district in writing prior to the hearing or in person at the hearing shall waive all objections to the organization of the proposed district.

  2.  For a district which does not include land within a city, copy of the notice shall also be sent by mail to each owner, without naming them, of each tract of land or lot within the proposed district as shown by the transfer books of the auditor’s office. The mailings shall be to the last known mailing address unless there is on file an affidavit of the auditor or of a person designated by the board to make the necessary investigation, stating that a mailing address is not known and that diligent inquiry has been made to ascertain it. The copy of notice shall be mailed no less than twenty days before the day set for hearing and proof of service shall be by affidavit of the auditor. The proofs of service required by this subsection shall be on file at the time the hearing begins.

  3.  In lieu of the mailing to the last known address a person owning land affected by a proposed district may file with the county auditor an instrument in writing designating the address for the mailing. This designation when filed is effective for five years and applies to all proceedings under this chapter. The person making the designation may change the address in the same manner as the original designation is made.

  4.  In lieu of publication, personal service of the notice may be made upon an owner of land in the proposed district in the manner and for the time required for service of original notices in the district court. Proof of the service shall be on file with the auditor on the date of the hearing.

95 Acts, ch 200, §5