NMSA 77-15-10. Filing of petition; verification by board of county

77-15-10. Filing of petition; verification by board of county commissioners; creation of program; creation of predator control board. The petitions shall be filed on or before the first Monday in August in any year at a regularly scheduled meeting of the board of county commissioners. After examination of the petition, if the board finds the petition in order and properly signed by the owners of at least fifty-one percent of the sheep and goats, and by the owners of at least fifty-one percent of the cattle, the board shall declare a county predator control program established for both classes of animals for the period specified in the petition. If the petition is signed by the owners of fifty-one percent of either class but not both classes, the board shall declare a county predator program established for that class of animal for which the petition contains the required signatures for the period specified in the petition. The board shall further appoint the persons designated on the petition as the county predator control board, to serve for the period of the county predator control program. The predator control program established shall commence on January 1 following the establishment of the program, and shall continue for the term specified on the petition. If any funds remain after the termination of the program, these funds shall be refunded to each livestock owner assessed under the County Predator Control Act [77-15-6 to 77-15-14 NMSA 1978] in the proportion that the number of head of his livestock protected and assessed under the act at the date of termination of the program bears to the total number of head of livestock protected and assessed under that county program at the date of termination. Any pelts collected shall be sold and the proceeds placed in the county predator control fund. History: 1953 Comp., § 47-16-10, enacted by Laws 1965, ch. 92, § 5.