Whenever the board of county commissioners of any county determines that it is necessary to build or repair any bridge, the county’s share of the cost of which shall exceed the sum of $250,000, it shall pass a resolution declaring such construction or repairs a necessity. If there are not sufficient moneys in the appropriate funds of the county to pay the county’s share of such cost, the board of county commissioners may authorize the issuance of bonds of the county therefor. The resolution declaring it necessary to build or repair such bridge shall specify the amount of any bonds proposed to be issued for the payment of the cost thereof and shall be published once each week for two consecutive weeks in the official county newspaper.

If, within 30 days after the last publication of such resolution, a petition signed by 5% of the legally qualified electors of the county is presented to the board of county commissioners requesting that the question of building or repairing such bridge and the issuance of bonds of the county in payment of the cost thereof be submitted to a vote of the qualified electors of the county, the board of county commissioners shall call an election on the question of building or repairing such bridge and issuing bonds of the county in payment of the cost thereof. If no sufficient petition is filed within the prescribed time or, in the event a special election is called and held and a majority of the votes cast on the proposition submitted shall be in favor thereof, the board of county commissioners may proceed to make such construction or repairs and shall provide for the payment of the cost thereof out of appropriate funds of the county or, if specified in the resolution authorizing the same, by the issuance of bonds of the county in the amount so specified. Such bonds shall be issued in the manner prescribed in the general bond law. Nothing in this section shall apply to any bridge work or bond issue therefor under the provisions of Kan. Stat. Ann. §§ 68-1401 to 68-1405, inclusive, and amendments thereto.

In any county having a population of more than 300,000, bonds issued under the authority of this section shall not be subject to any limitation on the bonded indebtedness of such county, but the annual principal amount of bonds issued in any fiscal year under the authority of this section and Kan. Stat. Ann. § 68-1103, and amendments thereto, shall not, in the aggregate, exceed $3,000,000.