Exclusion of local governments from urban county population; notification of election

Any county seeking qualification as an urban county, including any urban county seeking to continue such qualification, shall notify, as provided in this subsection, each unit of general local government, which is included therein and is eligible to elect to have its population excluded from that of an urban county under subsection (a)(6)(A)(ii)(I)(a), of its opportunity to make such an election. Such notification shall, at a time and in a manner prescribed by the Secretary, be provided so as to provide a reasonable period for response prior to the period for which such qualification is sought. The population of any unit of general local government which is provided such notification and which does not inform, at a time and in a manner prescribed by the Secretary, the county of its election to exclude its population from that of the county shall, if the county qualifies as an urban county, be included in the population of such urban county as provided in subsection (d).