1.    The board of county commissioners of any county, or two or more boards of county commissioners acting jointly, shall, when requested to do so by petition of twenty percent of the qualified electors of the area to be included in a proposed hospital district, as determined by those voting for governor in that geographical area at the last gubernatorial election, submit the question to the qualified electors at a special election or the next regularly scheduled primary or general election as to whether or not the qualified electors of the area desire to establish a hospital district and whether they approve of the mill levy authorized by section 23-30-07 for the purpose of supporting such hospital district. If sixty percent of the qualified electors voting in the election within the proposed district approve, the county commission or county commissions, as the case may be, shall, by resolution, create the hospital district comprising the entire area as described in the petition.

2.    In the event the qualified electors of a hospital district desire to dissolve such district, thirty percent of the qualified electors, determined as in subsection 1, may petition the board of directors of the hospital district to place the question of the continued existence of the hospital district before the qualified electors of the district at the next regularly scheduled primary or general election. If at least sixty percent of the qualified electors voting in such election do not approve of the continued operation of the hospital district, the board of directors shall notify the county commission or county commissions, as the case may be. The county commission or county commissions shall, upon receipt of such notice, by resolution order the dissolution of the hospital district. Mill levies previously authorized shall continue to be collected as authorized until the termination of the authority therefor.

3.    The petition shall contain the name and address of each petitioner, the suggested name of the proposed district, the area in square miles [kilometers] to be included therein, the population of such area according to the most recent census, and a complete description according to government survey of the boundaries of the real property to be included in the proposed district. The petitioners shall also present to the county auditor or auditors a plat or map showing the suggested boundaries of the proposed district, and shall deposit with the auditor a sum of money sufficient to defray the expenses of publishing the notices required by this chapter and the cost of any special election.

4.    Any city located within the area, whether or not such city has a hospital, shall be included in the district.