Sec. 6. (a) A petition to change a city into a town may be filed as a civil action in the circuit court for the county in which the city is located. The petition must be signed by at least two-thirds (2/3) of the taxpayers twenty-one (21) years of age or older who reside in the city.

     (b) Whenever a petition is filed under this section, the clerk of the circuit court shall issue a summons to the city in its corporate name. A taxpayer who signed the petition may not withdraw the taxpayer’s signature on or after the return date of the summons.

     (c) An action under this section shall be tried by the court without a jury, and the only issue to be determined is whether the petition contains the genuine signatures of the number of taxpayers required. If the court finds in the affirmative, it shall enter an order changing the city into a town.

     (d) After an order is entered under subsection (c), the executive and the legislative body of the municipality shall organize as a town legislative body, with the executive becoming the town executive, and the remaining officers of the municipality shall exercise only the functions that may be exercised by the corresponding town officers. If none of the functions of a city officer or board is exercised under a town government, that officer or board shall immediately file a final report with and turn over all records and property in the officer’s or the board’s custody to the town legislative body. After the final report of a former city officer or board is approved by the town legislative body, that office or board is abolished.

     (e) The provisional town government provided for in subsection (d) shall serve until the time prescribed by IC 3-10-6-5 for a regular town election.

[Pre-Local Government Recodification Citation: 18-1-15-1.]

As added by Acts 1980, P.L.212, SEC.3. Amended by P.L.5-1983, SEC.11; P.L.5-1986, SEC.43; P.L.127-2017, SEC.121.