Title 30, Education and Culture

The state recognizes a continuing obligation to contribute to the support of the Oregon Historical Society. The amount appropriated each biennium will be considered the continuing level of state aid for operation of the society for the next biennium. Supplements may also be added…

(1) The Oregon Historical Society shall advise the Department of Transportation on acquisition, development and operation of historic places. (2) The Department of Transportation shall consider the advice of the Oregon Historical Society, particularly advice regarding the designa…

(1) The State Archivist shall establish the Oregon Historic Families database to provide genealogy research material and to encourage genealogy studies of historic families of Oregon. (2) The State Archivist shall compile Oregon data taken from decennial censuses prior to 1910. T…

The Oregon Historical Society shall prepare, administer and periodically revise a comprehensive program for the development of the Oregon Trail as a major historical attraction in this state. The program prepared by the Oregon Historical Society shall provide for: (1) Coordinatio…

The Oregon Business Development Department shall promote the Oregon Trail as a major tourist attraction in this state, consistent with maintaining the historical integrity of the Oregon Trail by: (1) Preparing and distributing maps, brochures and other promotional literature that…

Oregon recognizes the value and significance of its historic trails, including: (1) The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail; (2) The Oregon National Historic Trail; (3) The Applegate National Historic Trail; (4) The Nez Perce National Historic Trail; (5) Alternate routes of t…

(1) This section establishes the procedure for determining whether a county historical fund should be created. The question shall be decided by election. The governing body of a county: (a) May order the election on its own resolution; or (b) Shall order the election when a petit…

(1) When authorized by the electors as set forth in ORS 358.171, the governing body of the county may levy, in addition to the taxes now permitted by law to be levied, an ad valorem tax upon the taxable property in the county for the purpose of creating a county historical fund. …

The county historical fund is not subject to the provisions of the Local Budget Law and shall be a continuing fund. [Amended by 2003 c.46 §50]

Upon the creation of a county historical fund, the president and secretary of any historical society organized as a nonprofit organization under the laws of Oregon, affiliated with and approved by the Oregon Historical Society and including in its purposes the acquisition by gift…

Upon the filing of the detailed estimate and approval thereof by the governing body of the county, all moneys in the county historical fund are subject to disbursal by warrants drawn by the historical society and signed by the president and secretary of the society. No money with…

On or before January 1 of each year, every historical society specified in ORS 358.200 which has received moneys from a county historical fund shall submit a report in writing to the governing body of the county showing in detail how such moneys have been expended during the prec…

The authority to levy taxes for the county historical fund shall be deemed terminated in any county by the majority vote of the electors of the county voting to that effect on such question at any general election. Such termination shall be without prejudice to any subsequent aut…

As used in ORS 358.310 to 358.405, unless the context requires otherwise: (1) “Governing body” means the city council in relation to a city museum or the respective city councils of the two or more cities in relation to a joint city museum. (2) “Museum” includes any collection of…

Any city acting through its governing body or a museum commission established under ORS 358.320, may, for public museum purposes: (1) Accept deeds, gifts, devises or bequests of land, money or other valuable things and hold, control or dispose of such things according to the term…

(1) The governing body of a city may appoint a museum commission, which shall consist of seven members chosen with reference to their fitness for the position. (2) The members of a city museum commission shall be residents of the city in which the museum is or is to be located. W…

Two of the first members of a museum commission shall be appointed for one year, two shall be appointed for two years and three shall be appointed for three years, as determined by the governing body. Except for the first members and appointments to fill vacancies, the terms of m…

A museum commission shall: (1) Elect a chairperson and secretary to serve until the next succeeding first Monday in January and until their successors are elected. The secretary shall keep permanent and complete records of the proceedings of the museum commission. (2) Adopt rules…

A vacancy in the position of member of a museum commission shall be filled by a qualified person appointed by the governing body for the remainder of the unexpired term of the appointee’s predecessor in the position. [1953 c.481 §8]

The members of a museum commission shall receive no compensation as members, but shall be reimbursed for expenses incurred in the performance of their duties and approved by the chairperson of the museum commission. [1953 c.481 §9]

(1) Any city may establish, maintain and operate a public museum. (2) Any two or more cities may jointly establish, maintain and operate a public museum. [1953 c.481 §3; 1957 c.200 §2; 1973 c.757 §4; 1983 c.260 §6]

In the event that a public museum is established under ORS 358.345, the city or two or more cities, acting through the governing body or museum commission, may: (1) Acquire a site or sites for the museum. (2) Construct a structure or structures to house the museum collection, or …

A museum commission shall: (1) Determine the kind and class of museum to be established and submit such determination to the governing body. (2) Investigate and determine the most suitable location for the museum and the adequacy of roads or streets and parking areas therefor, an…

When a museum is established under ORS 358.345, a museum commission shall: (1) Maintain and operate the museum for and in the name of the city or two or more cities. (2) Subject to the approval of the governing body before they become effective, adopt and publish rules relating t…

The governing body may provide for the payment of the expense incident to museum operation, care and maintenance of museum objects, structures and grounds, and compensation of employees by means of annual budgeting and appropriation. [1953 c.481 §14]

(1) In the case of a city museum, and when authorized by the electors of the city voting at a primary election or general election, the governing body may issue general obligation or revenue bonds of the city for the purpose of providing all or part of the funds necessary to acqu…

The provisions of ORS chapter 287A apply to bonds issued under ORS 358.375. [1953 c.481 §17; 1983 c.260 §10; 2007 c.783 §160]

The governing body may pledge all or part of museum revenues, collected or to be collected, as security for the payment of general obligation bonds or revenue bonds issued under ORS 358.375. [1953 c.481 §18]

Revenue bonds issued under ORS 358.375 and pledges of revenue under ORS 358.385 shall not be construed as a general obligation of the issuing city. [1953 c.481 §19; 1983 c.260 §11]

Whenever joint action by the city councils of two or more cities is required or authorized under ORS 358.310 to 358.405, and there is disagreement between or among the city councils of the two or more respective cities, the matter shall be submitted to a judge of the circuit cour…

For the purposes of ORS 358.420 to 358.440: (1) “Loan,” “loaned” and “on loan” include all deposits of property with a museum that are not accompanied by a transfer of title to the property. (2) “Museum” means an institution located in Oregon that: (a) Is primarily educational, s…

(1) No action shall be brought against a museum to recover property on loan to the museum when more than 25 years have passed from the date of the last written contact between the lender and the museum. (2) Property on loan to a museum shall be deemed to have been donated to the …

(1) A museum may give notice of termination of a loan of property at any time if the property was loaned to the museum for an indefinite term. If the property was loaned to the museum for a specified term, the museum may give notice of termination of the loan at any time after th…

(1) To give notice of termination of a loan, the museum shall mail a notice to the lender at the most recent address of the lender as shown on the museum’s records pertaining to the property on loan. If the museum has no address in its records, or the museum does not receive writ…

One who purchases property from a museum acquires good title to the property if the museum represents that it has acquired title to the property pursuant to ORS 358.420. [1985 c.580 §5]

When a museum accepts a loan of property, the museum shall inform the lender in writing of the provisions of ORS 358.420 to 358.440. [1985 c.580 §6] HERITAGE DISTRICTS

As used in ORS 358.442 to 358.474, unless the context requires otherwise: (1) “County” means the county in which the administrative office of the district is located. (2) “County governing body” means the county court or board of county commissioners of the county. (3) “District”…

(1) A heritage district may be created as provided in ORS 198.705 to 198.955 and 358.442 to 358.474. (2) In addition to other required matters, a petition for formation of a district shall state the method of election of the board of the proposed district from among the methods d…

(1) In addition to other methods for formation of a heritage district authorized under ORS 198.705 to 198.955 and 358.442 to 358.474, the governing body in each of two or more counties may initiate the formation of a multicounty district, to be located entirely within those count…

(1) The officers of a heritage district shall be a board of five members, to be elected by the electors of the district. The district board shall appoint a representative of the museums in the district to serve as secretary of the district. (2) Any elector residing within the dis…

(1) Five district board members shall be elected at the election for heritage district formation. Nominating petitions or declarations of candidacy described in ORS 249.031 shall be filed with the county governing body. The fee for a declaration of candidacy shall be as prescribe…

(1) ORS chapter 255 governs the following: (a) The nomination and election of heritage district board members. (b) The conduct of district elections. (2) The electors of a district may exercise the powers of the initiative and referendum regarding a district measure, in accordanc…

(1) If two or three board members of a heritage district are to be elected at a regular district election at large, the candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be elected. If one or more board members are to be elected by zone, the candidate receiving the highest n…

(1) Heritage district board members may be elected by one of the following methods or a combination thereof: (a) By the electors of zones as nearly equal in population as possible according to the latest federal census. (b) At large by position number by the electors of the distr…

(1) A heritage district may not change the method for nominating and electing board members, unless the change is approved by the electors of the district in an election held prior to the change in method. The district board: (a) May order the election on its own resolution; or (…

The board of a heritage district shall adjust the boundaries of zones established within a district as necessary to make them as nearly equal in population as is feasible according to the latest federal census. The district board also shall adjust boundaries of zones as necessary…

For purposes of ad valorem taxation, a boundary change of a zone established within a heritage district must be filed in final approved form with the county assessor and the Department of Revenue as provided in ORS 308.225. [Formerly 198.983]

(1) The board of a heritage district shall be the governing body of the district and shall exercise all powers thereof. (2) At its first meeting or as soon thereafter as may be practicable, the board shall choose one of its members as president. [Formerly 198.984]

The board of a heritage district has the power: (1) To have and use a common seal. (2) To sue and be sued in its name. (3) To make and accept any and all contracts, deeds, leases, releases and documents of any kind that, in the judgment of the board, are necessary or proper to th…

The board of a heritage district, by resolution duly adopted, may establish sinking funds for the purpose of defraying the costs of acquiring historic real property and for restoration of historic buildings or facilities. A sinking fund may be created through the inclusion annual…