Title 21, Cities

The mayor and alderpersons mentioned in ORS 221.902 shall receive no compensation whatever for their services as such officers. The recorder, treasurer, marshal, police and other subordinate officers shall severally receive at stated times compensation to be fixed by ordinance by…

All elections in a city organized under sections 1 to 6, pages 119 to 123, Oregon Laws 1893, shall be governed by ORS chapters 246 to 260. [Amended by 1983 c.350 §31]

No person shall be eligible to or hold any elective or appointive office in a city referred to in ORS 221.906 unless the person is a resident and an elector of the city. [Amended by 1983 c.83 §22]

The council shall meet the second Tuesday in January succeeding each general municipal election and take the oath of office. The council shall hold regular meetings at least once in each month at such times as the council shall fix by ordinance. Special meetings may be called at …

At any meeting of the council a majority of the councillors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. A less number may adjourn from time to time, and may compel the attendance of absent members in such manner and under such penalties as may be prescribed by ordi…

The council shall judge the qualifications of its members. [Amended by 1983 c.350 §32]

No ordinance or resolution granting any franchise for any purpose shall be passed by the council on the day of its introduction nor within five days thereafter, nor at any other than a regular meeting. No resolution or order for the payment of money shall be passed at any other t…

The enacting clause of all ordinances shall be as follows: “Be it ordained by the common council of the city or town (as the case may be) of ______.” Every ordinance shall be signed by the mayor, or passed over the veto of the mayor, and attested by the recorder. A copy of the or…

(1) All claims and demands against any city referred to in ORS 221.906 shall be presented to and audited by the council in accordance with such regulations as it may by ordinance prescribe. Upon the allowance of any such claim or demand, the recorder shall draw a warrant upon the…

(1) The violation of any ordinance of a city referred to in ORS 221.906 shall be deemed a misdemeanor and may be prosecuted by the authorities of such city in the name of the people of such city, or may be redressed by civil action, suit or proceeding, at the option of said autho…

Every act or thing done, or anything existing within the limits of any city referred to in ORS 221.906, which is or may be declared by any law of this state or by any ordinance of such city to be a nuisance, hereby is declared to be a nuisance, and shall be considered and treated…

(1) The mayor and alderpersons shall compose the common council of any city organized under sections 1 to 6, pages 119 to 123, Oregon Laws 1893. At any regular council meeting, the common council may: (a) Provide for lighting the streets and furnishing such city and its inhabitan…

The mayor is the executive officer of any city referred to in ORS 221.902 and must exercise a careful supervision over its general affairs and subordinate officers. The mayor shall at least once each year state to the council by message the condition, financial and otherwise, of …

The recorder referred to in ORS 221.901 shall keep a journal of the proceedings of the council, and be ex officio assessor, and perform such other duties as required by ORS 221.901 to 221.928 or city ordinances. [Amended by 1999 c.788 §54]

The marshal shall be chief of police and shall have control over all police officers when on duty. The marshal shall be a conservator of the peace, and shall arrest all persons guilty of a breach thereof, or of violations of the city ordinances, and take them before the recorder …

The treasurer, as tax collector, shall collect and receipt for all taxes levied by the council and not returned as delinquent, and shall receive and faithfully keep the funds and moneys of any city referred to in ORS 221.906 and pay out the same as directed by ORS 221.901 to 221.…

No mayor, council member or any other officer of any city referred to in ORS 221.906, during the period for which the officer is elected, shall be interested in any contract the expenses of which are to be paid out of the city treasury.

The council may, whenever it deems it expedient, improve the public grounds within any city referred to in ORS 221.906, and establish and open additional streets and alleys therein. The power and authority to improve streets includes the power and authority to construct, improve,…

In making a deed for any real property sold for delinquent taxes, it is not necessary to recite or set forth the proceedings prior to the sale, but it is sufficient, if it substantially appears from such deed that the property was sold by virtue of a warrant from any city referre…

Every city organized under sections 1 to 6, pages 119 to 123, Oregon Laws 1893, may pass any and all necessary ordinances for the purpose of carrying into force and effect any provisions of ORS 221.901 to 221.928 or any other laws concerning city government.

Upon the passage of any ordinance, the enrolled copy thereof, attested by the recorder, shall be submitted to the mayor by the recorder, and if the mayor approves the same the mayor shall write upon it “Approved,” with the date thereof and sign it with the name of office of the m…

The ordinances passed by any common council or any municipal corporation within this state, organized under sections 1 to 6, pages 119 to 123, Oregon Laws 1893, shall be recorded in a book to be kept for that purpose by the recorder of any such city. When so recorded, the record …

(1) When territory is approved for annexation to a city by city council action under ORS chapter 199 or this chapter, the recorder of the city or other city officer or agency performing the duties of recorder under this section, not later than 10 working days after passage of a r…

(1) Every city, through its recorder or other city officer or agency designated to perform the duties of the recorder under this section, shall report to the county clerk and county assessor of the county within which the city is located all changes in the boundaries or limits of…

When a change of the boundaries of a city through the annexation of territory is proposed pursuant to ORS 199.410 to 199.519, or 222.111 to 222.180 or city charter, the assessor of the county or counties wherein the territory to be annexed is located, shall furnish upon official …

(1) Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter that provides a different effective date, an annexation, transfer of territory, consolidation or merger under this chapter, or any removal by a city by ordinance of a newly annexed area from a special district, shall not become ef…

If a city splits into two or more cities, or two or more cities consolidate or merge, the cities affected by the split, consolidation or merger, including cities created by the split, consolidation or merger, must enter into a written agreement that addresses any unfunded Public …

(1) This section applies if a consolidation or merger proposes to consolidate or merge two or more cities and at least one of the cities has not previously imposed ad valorem property taxes. (2) The question of the consolidation or merger that is submitted to the electors of the …

(1) When a proposal containing the terms of annexation is approved in the manner provided by the charter of the annexing city or by ORS 222.111 to 222.180 or 222.840 to 222.915, the boundaries of any city may be extended by the annexation of territory that is not within a city an…

A contract between a city and a landowner containing the landowner’s consent to eventual annexation of the landowner’s property in return for extraterritorial services: (1) Must be recorded; and (2) When recorded, is binding on successors in interest in that property. [1991 c.637…

A city and an airport may enter into an agreement pursuant to which the city provides sewer and water services to the airport without requiring the annexation, or consent to eventual annexation, to the city of the territory on which the airport is situated. [2015 c.787 §1] Note: …

(1) Except when expressly required to do so by the city charter, the legislative body of a city is not required to submit a proposal for annexation of territory to the electors of the city for their approval or rejection. (2) When the legislative body of the city elects to dispen…

The legislative body of a city need not call or hold an election in the city or in any contiguous territory proposed to be annexed or hold the hearing otherwise required under ORS 222.120 when all of the owners of land in that territory and not less than 50 percent of the elector…

(1) This section applies to a city whose laws require a petition proposing annexation of territory to be submitted to the electors of the city. (2) Notwithstanding a contrary provision of the city charter or a city ordinance, upon receipt of a petition proposing annexation of ter…

(1) The statement summarizing the measure and its major effect in the ballot title for a proposal for annexation shall contain a general description of the boundaries of each territory proposed to be annexed. The description shall use streets and other generally recognized featur…

The city legislative body shall determine the results of the election from the official figures returned by the county clerk. If the city legislative body finds that the majority of all votes cast in the territory favors annexation and the city legislative body has dispensed with…

This section applies when the city legislative body has not dispensed with submitting the question of annexation to the electors of the city. If the city legislative body finds that a majority of the votes cast in the territory and a majority of the votes cast in the city favor a…

(1) The legislative body of the city need not call or hold an election in any contiguous territory proposed to be annexed if more than half of the owners of land in the territory, who also own more than half of the land in the contiguous territory and of real property therein rep…

(1) For the purpose of authorizing an annexation under ORS 222.170 or under a proceeding initiated as provided by ORS 199.490 (2), only statements of consent to annexation which are filed within any one-year period shall be effective, unless a separate written agreement waiving t…

If a city solicits statements of consent under ORS 222.170 from electors and owners of land in order to facilitate annexation of unincorporated territory to the city, the city shall, upon request, provide to those electors and owners information on that city’s ad valorem tax levi…

When a city legislative body proclaims an annexation under ORS 222.125, 222.150, 222.160 or 222.170, the recorder of the city or any other city officer or agency designated by the city legislative body to perform the duties of the recorder under this section shall transmit to the…

The amendments to ORS 222.210, 222.230, 222.240 and 222.270 made by chapter 702, Oregon Laws 1985, do not apply in territory subject to the jurisdiction of a local government boundary commission. [1985 c.702 §27] Note: 222.179 was enacted into law by the Legislative Assembly but …

(1) The annexation shall be complete from the date of filing with the Secretary of State of the annexation records as provided in ORS 222.177 and 222.900. Thereafter the annexed territory shall be and remain a part of the city to which it is annexed. The date of such filing shall…

(1) If the effective date of an annexation is more than one year after the date of a proclamation of annexation, the city, through its recorder or other city officer or agency performing the duties of recorder under this section, shall send notice to the county clerk of each coun…

(1) An incorporated city may be created from adjoining or nonadjoining incorporated cities, from an incorporated city and adjoining or nonadjoining unincorporated territory, or from both, after proceedings had as required by ORS 222.210 to 222.310. The legislature expressly decla…

Proceedings to create an incorporated city under ORS 222.210 to 222.310 may be initiated by petition signed by not less than 10 percent of the electors of each incorporated city to be included within the proposed city. If it is proposed to include one or more unincorporated areas…