Bill > S0956

This bill revises the Uniform Special District Accountability Act to clarify legislative intent and expand its scope to include dependent special districts, which are local government entities created to provide specific services and are subject to the control of a county or municipality. It mandates that special districts keep their tentative and final adopted budgets on their websites for at least 45 days and 2 years, respectively, and clarifies the Legislature's authority to create dependent special districts through special acts, which are laws passed for a specific purpose. The bill also updates the procedures for declaring a special district inactive, requiring more documented evidence before such a declaration can be made, and refines the oversight processes for special districts created by special acts or local ordinances, including the information they must provide before public hearings on noncompliance. Additionally, it clarifies the requirements for special districts to maintain official websites and post various documents, such as meeting agendas and audit reports, and makes changes to the merger and dissolution processes for both dependent and independent special districts, particularly those declared inactive.