A gas utility district cannot be created until notice of the proposed district has been ordered, published, and a hearing held on objections.
§4302. Notice of intention to create district; hearing of objections; resolution fixing boundaries No gas utility district shall be created hereunder until notice of the intention to create such district shall have been ordered by resolution or resolutions which shall define the proposed boundaries of the district and state the purposes of the incorporation thereof. Such notice shall state that the governing authority will in open session on a day and at an hour and place therein named hear objections to the creation of such gas utility district and that it will at such time or at an adjournment of such meeting proceed to create the proposed district. Where the proposed district lies in more than one parish, such notice shall be given by the governing authority of each parish and a hearing shall be so held in each parish. Such notice shall be published once a week for four successive weeks and the first publication shall be not less than thirty days before the date fixed for the hearing. The notice shall be published in a newspaper published in each parish affected. The governing authority shall hear all objections at the time appointed or at any time to which the hearing may be adjourned, shall pass upon the same, and may eliminate such territory from the proposed district as it may consider fair and equitable to eliminate, provided that where the proposed district is to lie in more than one parish, the governing authority in each parish may eliminate from such district only territory lying within the boundaries of such parish. The decision of each governing authority shall be final and conclusive and at such hearing or at a subsequent meeting the governing authority shall, if it determines to create such district, adopt a resolution finally fixing the boundaries of the district and giving the district a numerical designation and name. Where the district is to lie within the boundaries of more than one parish, like resolutions shall be adopted by the governing authority of each parish affected. Notice of the formation of any such district shall be given forthwith by publication of an appropriate notice for one time in each parish affected. Acts 1960, No. 415, §2.