70-610.

Board of directors; candidate qualifications; election; expenses.

(1) After the selection of the original board of directors of a district as provided for in sections 70-604 and 70-609, successors shall be nominated and elected as provided in section 32-512. Elections shall be conducted as provided in the Election Act.

(2) A candidate for director shall be a registered voter residing within the chartered territory or subdivision as defined in the charter of the district or a retail customer duly certified in accordance with subsection (3) of section 70-604.03.

(3) Each public power district shall pay for the election expenses of nominating and electing its directors as provided in this section. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the district shall pay to each county in which the name of one or more candidates appears upon the ballot as follows: Counties having a population of less than three thousand inhabitants, one hundred dollars; counties having a population of at least three thousand but less than nine thousand inhabitants, one hundred fifty dollars; counties having a population of at least nine thousand but less than fourteen thousand inhabitants, two hundred dollars; counties having a population of at least fourteen thousand but less than twenty thousand inhabitants, two hundred fifty dollars; counties having a population of at least twenty thousand but less than sixty thousand inhabitants, three hundred dollars; counties having a population of at least sixty thousand but less than one hundred thousand inhabitants, fifteen hundred dollars; counties having a population of at least one hundred thousand but less than two hundred thousand inhabitants, three thousand dollars; and counties having a population of two hundred thousand inhabitants or more, fifty-five hundred dollars. The population of a county for purposes of this section shall be the population as determined by the most recent federal decennial census.

When the name of one or more candidates of a district appears on ballots in less than one-half of the precincts in a county, the cost to the district shall be reduced fifty percent. Election expenses shall be due and payable by each public power district within thirty days after receipt of a statement from the county.

(4) In lieu of the payment of election expenses pursuant to subsection (3) of this section, a district shall pay for the election expenses of nominating and electing its board of directors pursuant to subsection (2) of section 32-1203 upon request of a county. The election expenses shall be due and payable by the district within thirty days after receipt from the county of an itemized statement of election expenses owed by the district. This subsection shall not be construed to authorize reimbursement for expenses not directly attributable to nominating and electing members of the board of directors.