(1) The legislature finds that in many areas of the state, landowners, cities, towns, counties, rural electric cooperatives, and public utilities desire to convert existing overhead electric and communication facilities to underground locations by means of special improvement district proceedings.
(2) The legislature hereby declares that a public purpose will be served by providing a procedure to accomplish such conversion and that it is in the public interest to provide for such conversion by proceedings taken pursuant to this part, whether such areas be within the limits of a city or town or within a county.