When the residents of the municipality, or each municipality when more than one is involved, or the municipal officers, as the case may be, have voted upon the formation of a proposed disposal district and all of the other questions submitted, the clerk of each of the municipalities shall make a return to the department in such form as the department may determine. If the department finds from the returns that each of the municipalities involved, voting on each of the articles and questions submitted to them, has voted in the affirmative, and that the municipalities have appointed the necessary directors and listed the names of the directors to represent each municipality, and that all other steps in the formation of the proposed disposal district are in order and in conformity with law, the department shall make a finding to that effect and record the finding upon its records. When 3 or more municipalities are concerned in the voting, and at least 2 have voted to approve each of the articles and questions submitted, appointed the necessary directors and listed the names of the directors to represent each municipality, rejection of the proposed disposal district by one or more does not defeat the creation of a district composed of the municipalities voting affirmatively on the question, if the department determines and issues an order stating that it is feasible or practical to constitute the district as a geographic unit composed of the municipalities voting affirmatively, unless the vote submitted to the municipalities provided that specific participants or a minimum number of participants must approve the formation of the district. [PL 2011, c. 655, Pt. GG, §23 (AMD); PL 2011, c. 655, Pt. GG, §70 (AFF).]

The department, immediately after making its findings, shall issue a certificate of organization in the name of the disposal district in such form as the department determines. The original certificate must be delivered to the directors on the day that they are directed to organize and a copy of the certificate duly attested by the commissioner must be filed and recorded in the office of the Secretary of State. The issuance of the certificate by the department is conclusive evidence of the lawful organization of the disposal district. The disposal district is not operative until the date set by the directors under section 1726. [PL 2011, c. 655, Pt. GG, §23 (AMD); PL 2011, c. 655, Pt. GG, §70 (AFF).]