Title 21, Cities

Every incorporated city or municipal corporation owning or controlling any lands without its boundaries may enact any police or penal ordinance necessary to protect the same or preserve the peace and order therein or regulate the use of such park, enforce the ordinance by penalti…

As used in ORS 226.120 to 226.240, unless the context requires otherwise: (1) “Board” means board of city park commissioners. (2) “City” means incorporated city containing not less than 3,000 inhabitants. (3) “Commissioner” means city park commissioner. [Amended by 2005 c.22 §171…

The board of park commissioners of the city shall be composed of the mayor and city engineer, if there is one, and if not, the city auditor, together with five citizens thereof, to be appointed by the circuit court in which the city is located. If there is more than one circuit j…

The question whether ORS 226.110 to 226.240 shall take effect in a city shall be decided by election as provided in this section. The governing body may submit the question to the electors of the city at an election on a date specified in ORS 221.230. The election shall be conduc…

The commissioners shall organize at a meeting thereof, to be called by the mayor not less than 30 nor more than 60 days after appointment of the commissioners is complete. The mayor shall be chairperson of the board. Whenever a vacancy occurs in the board appointed under ORS 226.…

The board shall appoint a secretary, who shall keep an accurate record of all proceedings of the board, including all rules and regulations adopted for government or use of the parks.

The city treasurer shall be treasurer of the board. The treasurer shall keep an accurate account of all moneys received and paid out on account of the board apart from all other accounts, and shall pay out no moneys on account of the board, except upon a warrant drawn upon the tr…

The rules and regulations of the board for violation of which penalties are fixed shall be made public, as the board determines.

Regular meetings of the board shall be held on the first Tuesday of each month. Special meetings may be called by the chairperson upon application of three members of the board. No business shall be transacted at any meeting of the board without the presence of three or more of t…

No commissioner shall be interested in any contract to which the board of which the commissioner is a member is a party or in which it is interested.

(1) The board shall have full and exclusive control of all parks within or connected with its respective city. For that purpose it may: (a) Lay out and improve such parks. (b) Appoint all necessary engineers, surveyors and all other employees, including a police force to act in t…

(1) If necessary, the board may provide for payment of land purchases under ORS 226.210 (1)(f) by a special tax, not to exceed one-half mill on the dollar in any one year, on taxable property in the city, to be levied by the board and collected like other city taxes. (2) Before s…

If the governing body of a city with a park board created under ORS 226.120 decides that the city should abolish the board and transfer its powers, functions and duties, as defined in ORS 226.110 to 226.220, to the governing body of the city, the governing body shall submit the q…

If the electors of the city approve abolition of the park board under ORS 226.230, the park commission shall cease and the offices of park commissioner terminate within 30 days after the returns of the election have been canvassed. Thereafter, all powers, functions and duties of …

(1) As used in ORS 226.320 to 226.400, “city” means any incorporated city having 5,000 inhabitants or more. (2) The taking, using, acquiring and appropriating of private property for any purpose specified in ORS 226.320 to 226.390 is declared to be done for public use.

Whenever the municipal authorities determine by ordinance to do so, the city may purchase, acquire, take, use, enter upon and appropriate land and property within or without its corporate limits for the purpose of: (1) Public squares, parks, memorial monuments or buildings, pione…

The city may purchase, acquire, take, use, enter upon and appropriate land and property in excess of what may be needed for any public squares, parks or playgrounds.

(1) In the ordinance providing for an appropriation under ORS 226.330, the municipal authorities shall specify and describe the land authorized to be taken, purchased, acquired, used and appropriated. Such land shall not embrace more than 200 feet beyond the boundary line of the …

After so much land and property referred to in ORS 226.330 as is needed has been appropriated for public squares, parks or playgrounds, the municipal authorities of the city may by ordinance authorize the sale of the remainder of such land or property and impose such restrictions…

The proceeds from resale of any neighboring property taken in excess of what may be necessary for actual construction, opening, widening, extending and laying out of any public square, park or playground as provided in ORS 226.310 to 226.390 shall be deposited in the city treasur…

Before selling the neighboring lands or property acquired under ORS 226.320 to 226.360, or any part thereof or any right or interest therein, the municipal authorities of the city shall give a notice of such sale by publication for five successive days in one or more daily newspa…

When it is intended by the municipal authorities of the city to take, use and appropriate private property for any of the purposes mentioned in ORS 226.320 to 226.340 and the owners and the municipal authorities cannot agree upon compensation and damages arising therefrom, compen…

The municipal authorities may issue bonds for the costs and expenses of acquiring the private property for any of the purposes mentioned in ORS 226.320 to 226.380. The bonds shall be at such rate of interest and for such length of time as the municipal authorities determine, shal…

The city may permit and authorize the following uses of parks, which are lawful uses of any grounds or premises dedicated as public parks, unless the use thereof for such purposes is forbidden by the terms of the conveyance creating such parks: (1) The erection and construction o…

Any incorporated city may acquire, own, maintain and operate cemeteries, crematoria and other facilities authorized for the disposition of human remains either inside or outside its corporate limits, in accordance with such plans as the city governing body deems best. [Amended by…

Any incorporated city may acquire, by purchase or gift, any ground or other property belonging to any cemetery association, situate within the corporate limits of the city, for the purpose of owning, controlling or operating such cemetery and the interment of the body of any dece…

Whenever any cemetery association transfers to any incorporated city, as provided in ORS 226.420, the ground and property of such cemetery association, from and after such transfer the city shall have exclusive control of such cemetery and all property connected therewith.

Any incorporated city acquiring incorporated cemetery association property as provided in ORS 226.420, may sell or otherwise dispose of any lots or blocks situate in and being a part of such cemetery in the manner prescribed by the common council of such city.

All cities owning and controlling lands, lots or parcels of ground used for cemetery purposes may expend, for the purpose of beautifying, caring for and keeping up all such lands and premises, such public funds as have been included for that purpose in their annual budget.

It hereby is found and declared: (1) That there exists within municipal corporations of the state, cemeteries which have been abandoned and cemeteries which have deteriorated and become dilapidated and overgrown with weeds, trees, shrubs or other uncontrolled growth. (2) That suc…

As used in ORS 226.510 to 226.640: (1) “Abandoned cemetery” means a cemetery in which remains have not been interred in the last five years and: (a) That does not have a known owner; (b) For which the last known owner is deceased and the title was not conveyed; or (c) That was ow…

Any municipal corporation, by and through its governing body, in addition to the powers and privileges heretofore conferred upon municipal corporations by the laws of this state, shall for the purposes of ORS 226.530 to 226.630 have the power to: (1) Acquire cemeteries and cemete…

(1) The governing body of a municipal corporation may hold a public hearing regarding an abandoned cemetery, or deteriorated and neglected cemetery, that is within the boundaries of the municipal corporation if: (a) The cemetery could, because of its location, endanger the health…

Upon a finding by the governing body of a municipal corporation, after such hearing, that a cemetery located within such corporation is abandoned, or has become deteriorated or dilapidated and overgrown with weeds, trees, shrubs or other uncontrolled growth, and is so located as …

Upon the adoption of a resolution or ordinance, as provided for by ORS 226.540 and 226.550, the governing body of said municipal corporation may provide for the expenditure of public funds necessary for the disinterment, removal and reinterment of remains and any and all other ex…

Upon the adoption by the governing body of a municipal corporation of an ordinance or resolution, as provided by ORS 226.540 and 226.550, such governing body shall have the authority, by an action filed in the circuit court of the State of Oregon for the county in which such muni…

The complaint in any suit brought under the provisions of ORS 226.510 to 226.640 shall include as defendants the names of all record owners of lots, or plots located in the cemetery sought to be condemned or any portion or parcel of such cemetery, and the names of the heirs of al…

The summons in the action shall be served on all named defendants who, by diligent search, can be found, in a like manner as service of summons in a civil action. Service of summons on named defendants who cannot be found may be made by publication as provided in ORCP 7. Service …

All such persons or parties having or claiming any right, title, estate or interest in the real property in controversy, so served by publication as in ORS 226.590 provided, shall have the same rights as provided by law in case of all other defendants upon whom service is made by…

The matter of compensation, if any, shall be determined by a jury called for such purpose; and the court shall, in addition to other instructions, instruct that the jury shall consider the following factors as a benefit and offset: (1) The cost of a suitable reinterment site. (2)…

Whenever any municipal corporation shall have proceeded under ORS 226.510 to 226.640, and a judgment of the court shall vest in said municipal corporation the title to such cemetery properties, as referred to herein, by eminent domain, such municipal corporation shall proceed wit…

(1) The removal of remains, headstones and other evidence of the locations of graves, and the clearance of the cemetery property, may be done under the direct supervision of the governing body of the municipal corporation, or such commission as such governing body may appoint, an…

(1) The State Parks and Recreation Department may issue a permit to an entity to restore, maintain and preserve an abandoned cemetery. (2) An entity issued a permit under subsections (1) to (5) of this section may: (a) Restore, maintain and preserve the grounds of the abandoned c…

Violation of ORS 226.190 is punishable, upon conviction, in the same manner and to the same extent as for a crime defined in ORS 164.043, 164.045, 164.055 and 164.057. [Amended by 1971 c.743 §347; 1987 c.907 §14] _______________