40-33-03. Sale or lease of plant, system, or line - Offer or written proposition - Election - Proceeds

40-33-03. Sale or lease of plant, system, or line - Offer or written proposition - Election - Proceeds. No municipality shall sell any municipal plant, system, or line, nor lease the same, or any substantial part thereof, or interest therein, to any person, firm, corporation, or limited liability company unless the person, firm, corporation, or limited liability company shall have filed in the office of the auditor of the municipality a complete written offer or proposition, nor unless a majority of the qualified electors of the municipality shall have voted in favor of accepting the offer or proposition at an election called, held, and conducted as specified in section 40-33-02. A copy of the offer or proposition shall be published with the notice of the election. The proceeds of any sale or lease made according to this section shall be applied toward the payment of the existing indebtedness of the municipality incurred for the purpose of purchasing, erecting, operating, or enlarging, improving, or extending such plant, system, or line. The purchaser or lessee, however, shall not be required to see that the consideration of the purchase or lease is applied correctly as provided in this section, but the purchaser or lessee shall be protected fully in making the payment or payments by the receipt of the city auditor. Nothing contained in this section shall prevent the governing body from selling or disposing of any machinery, material, or other property belonging to any such utility which may have been inadequate or insufficient for the purposes for which it was intended to be used. This section does not apply to a lease by a municipality of any plant, system, or line to the state or any agency or institution of the state pursuant to subsection 5 of section 40-33-01.