(a) Subject to the provisions of Kan. Stat. Ann. § 19-270, when a petition conforming to this section and Kan. Stat. Ann. § 19-2754, and amendments thereto, is filed with the board of county commissioners requesting that an improvement district be incorporated and organized, the board shall hold a hearing on the petition. To be valid, the petition shall be signed: (1) By a majority of those persons who pay taxes on real property in the proposed district and who reside within the boundaries of the proposed district; or (2) by all the owners of all real property in the proposed district, whether residing in the proposed district or not. Upon the filing of such a petition, the board of county commissioners shall fix a time for the hearing of such petition and to cause the county clerk to give notice of the hearing by publication once each week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper published in and of general circulation in the county. The notice shall be published at least 15 days before the date fixed for the hearing. Notice of the hearing shall also be posted in not less than three public places in the territory not less than 15 days before the hearing. The county clerk, not less than 15 days before the hearing, shall send notices of the hearing with a copy of the petition, without the signatures, to the clerk, secretary or chairperson of any duly constituted city, county, regional or metropolitan planning commission exercising planning authority over all or part of the territory, to the director of the division of community development of the department of economic development and to the city clerk of any city, any portion of which is within five miles of the nearest boundary of the territory as described in the petition.

(b) As a guide in determining the advisability of organizing the district, the board shall consider the following factors, among others: (1) Population and population density of the area within the boundaries of the territory; (2) land area, topography, natural boundaries and drainage basin; (3) area of platted land relative to unplatted land and assessed value of platted land relative to assessed value of unplatted areas; (4) extent of residential, business, commercial and industrial development; (5) past expansion in terms of population and construction; (6) likelihood of significant growth in the area, and in adjacent areas, during the next 10 years; (7) the present cost and adequacy of governmental services and controls in the area and the probable effect of the proposed action, and of alternative courses of action, on the cost and adequacy of local governmental services and regulation in the area and in adjacent areas; (8) the need for the public improvements in the proposed district and whether the issuance of bonds therefor would unduly require the speculative use of public funds; and (9) effect of the proposed action, and of alternative actions, on adjacent areas and on the local governmental structure of the general area.

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(c) If the territory or any part thereof is within five miles of an existing city, the board shall take into consideration: (1) The size and population of such city; (2) the city’s growth in population, business and industry during the past 10 years; (3) the extension of its boundaries during the past 10 years; (4) the probability of its growth toward the territory during the ensuing 10 years, taking into consideration natural barriers and other reasons which might influence growth toward the territory; (5) the willingness of the city to annex the territory and its ability to provide city services in case of annexation; and (6) the general effect upon the entire community, all of these and other considerations having to do with the overall orderly and economic development of the area and to prevent an unreasonable multiplicity of independent municipal and special district governments.