Montana Code Annotated 2023

TITLE 7. LOCAL GOVERNMENT

CHAPTER 2. CREATION, ALTERATION, AND ABANDONMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

Part 27. Abandonment and Consolidation of Counties

Effect Of Abandonment On County High Schools

7-2-2728. Effect of abandonment on county high schools. (1) If a county high school shall have been established in any abandoned and abolished county when such county ceases to exist, such county high school shall become the high school of the district in which it is situated or located and all property, both real and personal, owned by such county or acquired for and used in connection with the maintenance and operation of such county high school shall become and be the property of such school district to be used by such school district for the maintenance and operation of such district high school. All lawful existing contracts of such county high school shall be assumed by and become the contracts of such school district. The terms of office of all trustees of such county high school shall cease and terminate at the time the existence of said abandoned and abolished county shall cease and terminate.

(2) All money in all county high school funds shall be transferred and paid over to the treasurer of the county to which the territory in which the school district succeeding to the property of the county high school is attached and made a part and used and applied as follows:

(a) Any money in any bond sinking and interest funds shall be used for the payment and interest on any unpaid and outstanding high school bonds.

(b) (i) If there shall be outstanding any high school warrants at the time such county high school ceases to exist, then all money in such county high school funds, except sinking and interest funds, shall be used for the payment of such warrants, with interest thereon.

(ii) If such money is insufficient to pay all outstanding warrants, with the interest thereon, then such warrant indebtedness shall be assumed by and become warrant indebtedness of such school district.

(c) If there be no such high school warrants outstanding, then the money in such funds shall be transferred to the high school fund of the school district which, under the provisions of this part, is to maintain such high school as a district high school.

(3) (a) All taxes levied for any sinking and interest fund for county high school bonds and remaining unpaid at the time the abandoned and abolished county ceases to exist, when collected, shall be deposited to the credit of such fund.

(b) All taxes levied for high school purposes and remaining unpaid when such county ceases to exist and all other money which would have gone to such high school if the county had not been abandoned and abolished, when collected, shall be deposited to the proper high school funds of the district in the county to which the territory of the abandoned and abolished county has been attached and made a part.

History: En. Sec. 23, Ch. 105, L. 1937; R.C.M. 1947, 16-4023.