Title 15 — Title 15 — Cities And Towns

Short title. This chapter may be cited as the "Wyoming Urban Renewal Code."

Legislative findings. (a) It is hereby found and declared that there exists in municipalities of the state slum and blighted areas (as herein defined) which constitute a serious and growing menace, injurious to the public health, safety, morals and welfare of the residents of the…

Definitions. (a) As used in this chapter, unless a different meaning is clearly indicated by the context: (i) "Agency" or "urban renewal agency" means a public agency created by W.S. 15-9-134; (ii) "Area of operation" means the area within the corporate limits of the municipality…

considered. Private enterprise to be preferred; when (a) A municipality, to the greatest extent it determines to be feasible in carrying out the provisions of this chapter and consistent with its needs, shall afford maximum opportunity to the rehabilitation or redevelopment of th…

Workable program; formulation; objectives and provisions thereof. (a) For the purposes of this chapter a municipality may formulate for itself a workable program for utilizing appropriate private and public resources to: (i) Eliminate and prevent the development or spread of slum…

Initiative resolution; how adopted; findings. (a) No municipality shall exercise the authority conferred upon municipalities by this chapter until the local governing body, on its own motion or by virtue of a petition signed by twenty-five (25) or more electors of the municipalit…

generally. Preliminary requirements for projects; An urban renewal project for an urban renewal area shall not be planned or initiated unless the governing body, by resolution, has determined the area to be a slum area or a blighted area or a combination thereof and designated it…

Preliminary requirements for projects; preparation of plan; review by commission. A municipality may prepare an urban renewal plan or have one prepared by the urban renewal agency established in W.S.

Preliminary requirements for projects; hearing; publication and contents of notice. (a) The local governing body, under rules or procedures it determines, shall hold a public hearing on any urban renewal project. (b) A notice of the hearing shall be published in a newspaper havin…

Preliminary requirements for projects; approval by and findings of governing body. (a) Following the hearing specified in W.S. 15-9-109, the local governing body may approve an urban renewal project and the plan therefor if it finds that: (i) A feasible method exists for the relo…

When plan modifiable and effective. (a) An urban renewal plan may be modified at any time. If a plan is modified after the lease or sale by the municipality of real property in the urban renewal project area, the modification may be conditioned upon the approval of the owner, les…

Provisions not applicable for disaster area. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, if a local governing body certifies that an area is in need of redevelopment or rehabilitation as a result of a flood, fire, tornado, earthquake, storm or other catastrophe for whic…

General powers of municipality. (a) In addition to any other powers specified by law, every municipality has all the powers necessary to carry out the purposes and provisions of this chapter, including the following powers: (i) To undertake and carry out urban renewal projects an…

Condemnation. (a) A municipality has the right to acquire by condemnation any interest in real property, including a fee simple title thereto, which it deems necessary for or in connection with an urban renewal project under this chapter. A municipality may exercise the power of …

use generally. (a) Property acquired in project; disposition and A municipality may: (i) Sell, lease or otherwise transfer real property or any interest therein acquired by it in an urban renewal project; (ii) Enter into contracts with respect to such property for residential, re…

Property acquired in project; disposition to private persons; procedure; notice; proposals; contracts. (a) A municipality may: (i) Dispose of real property in an urban renewal area to private persons only under reasonable procedures it prescribes or as are provided in this sectio…

Property acquired in project; temporary operation and maintenance. A municipality may temporarily operate and maintain real property acquired by it in an urban renewal area for or in connection with an urban renewal project pending the disposition of the property as authorized in…

Property acquired in project; disposition when area designated under federal provisions. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, if the municipality is situated in an area designated as a redevelopment area under the Federal Area Redevelopment Act 42 U.S.C. 3161 et …

(a) Bonds authorized; payment thereof; security. A municipality is empowered to issue: (i) Revenue bonds to finance the undertaking of any urban renewal project under this chapter, including, without limiting the generality thereof, the payment of principal and interest upon any …

thereof. Taxes upon property; authorized division (a) Any urban renewal plan may contain a provision that taxes, if any, levied upon taxable property in an urban renewal project each year by or for the benefit of a municipality in the state shall be divided as follows: (i) That p…

Taxes upon property; when pledging allowed. In any urban renewal plan or in proceedings for the advance of monies or making of loans or the incurring of any indebtedness by the municipality or agency to finance or refinance in whole or in part the urban renewal project, the porti…

(a) Bonds; provisions inapplicable; tax exemption. Revenue bonds issued under this chapter: (i) Do not constitute an indebtedness within the meaning of any constitutional or statutory debt limitation or restriction; (ii) Are not subject to the provisions of any other law or chart…

Bonds; resolution or ordinance; characteristics. Bonds issued under this chapter shall be authorized by resolution or ordinance of the local governing body. The bonds may be issued in one (1) or more series and shall bear the date or dates, be payable upon demand or mature at the…

Bonds; sale or exchange. Bonds may be sold at not less than par at public sales held after notice published prior to the sale in a newspaper having a general circulation in the area of operation and in any other medium of publication as the municipality determines or may be excha…

Bonds; signatures and negotiability. If any of the public officials of the municipality whose signatures appear on any bonds or coupons issued under this chapter cease to be officials before the delivery of the bonds, the signatures are valid and sufficient for all purposes, the …

Bonds; recitation thereon. In any suit, action or proceeding involving the validity or enforceability of any bond issued under this chapter or the security therefor, the bond reciting in substance that it has been issued by the municipality in connection with an urban renewal pro…

General obligation bonds; purposes; authorization; approval; characteristics; other provisions unaffected. (a) In addition to the authority to issue bonds pursuant to W.S. 15-9-119, any municipality may issue general obligation bonds for the urban renewal purposes specified in su…

care. Investment of funds in bonds authorized; duty of (a) Anyone carrying on a banking or investment business or an insurance business and all fiduciaries may legally invest any monies or other funds belonging to them or within their control in any bonds or other obligations iss…

Exemption of property from execution; exception. All property of a municipality or agency, including funds owned or held by it for the purposes of this chapter, are exempt from levy and sale by virtue of any execution. No execution or other judicial process shall issue against th…

thereof. Exemption of property from taxation; termination The property of a municipality or agency acquired or held for the purposes of this chapter, is public property used for essential public and governmental purposes. The property is exempt from all taxes of the municipality,…

project. Powers of municipality, public body in aiding (a) To aid in the planning, undertaking or carrying out of an urban renewal project and related activities authorized by this chapter located within the area in which it is authorized to act, any public body or municipality, …

Instruments presumed properly executed. Any instrument executed by a municipality and purporting to convey the right, title or interest in any property under this chapter is conclusively presumed to have been executed in compliance with the provisions hereof insofar as title or o…

Exercise of powers; delegation and scope thereof; exceptions. (a) A municipality may itself exercise its urban renewal powers as specified in this chapter. (b) As used in this section, "urban renewal powers," when applied to their exercise by the urban renewal agency, include the…

Agency; creation; board of commissioners; appointment; compensation; actions and procedure; removal. (a) There is created in each municipality a public body corporate and politic to be known as the "urban renewal agency" of the municipality. The urban renewal agency shall not exe…

He has had an opportunity to be heard in person Agency; staff. An agency may employ an executive director, technical experts and any other agents and employees it requires and determine their qualifications, duties and compensation. An agency may also employ or retain its own cou…

Agency; annual reports. An agency authorized to transact business and exercise powers under this chapter shall file with the local governing body on or before May 31 of each year a report of its activities for the preceding calendar year. The report shall include a complete finan…

Voluntary conflicts of interest prohibited; disclosure of involuntary conflicts; violation. No public official or employee of a municipality, or board or commission thereof, and no commissioner or employee of an urban renewal agency vested by a municipality with urban renewal pro…

Declarations. (a) The Wyoming legislature declares that the organization of downtown development authorities having the purposes and powers provided in this act will serve a public use; will promote the health, safety, prosperity, security and general welfare of the inhabitants t…

Definitions. (a) As used in this article, unless the context otherwise requires: (i) "Authority" means a downtown development authority created pursuant to the provisions of this article in any municipality of this state and any successor to its functions, authority, rights and o…

Powers of governing body; creation of authority; status thereof. A municipality may itself exercise the powers specified in this article, or if the governing body, by resolution, determines it to be in the public interest, it may elect to create and establish a downtown developme…

Organizational procedure. (a) Upon petition of twenty-five percent (25%) of the persons owning nonresidential property within the proposed district and following a public hearing, if the governing body of a municipality determines it is necessary to establish a downtown developme…

vacancies. Board; appointment; membership; terms; (a) The affairs of the authority shall be under the direct supervision and control of a board consisting of not less than five (5) nor more than eleven (11) members appointed by the governing body. A majority of the members appoin…

Board; qualifications; oath of office; rules of procedure; meetings; reimbursement; removal. (a) A majority of the members of the board, except any member from the governing body, shall reside, be a lessee or own real property in the downtown development district within the munic…

Board; powers and duties; division of property and sales tax; special fund; adjustment evaluations. (a) The board, subject to the provisions of this article and subject to other applicable provisions of law, shall have all powers customarily vested in the board of directors of a …

Plan of development; procedure for approval; public hearings; notice thereof; findings of governing body. (a) An authority shall not actually undertake a development project for a development area unless the governing body, by resolution, has first approved the plan of developmen…

Additional powers of authority; sale or letting of property at fair value. (a) In addition to the other powers granted by this article, the authority shall have all powers, except as limited in the ordinance or any amendments thereto establishing the authority, necessary to carry…

Authorization of bonds; determination of costs; expenditure of proceeds. (a) By ordinance adopted by the governing body at a regular or special meeting, by a vote of a majority of the members of the governing body, the municipality may issue bonds, payable solely from taxes pledg…

Bond provisions; lost or destroyed securities; facsimile signatures; limited obligations. (a) Bonds issued pursuant to this article shall bear interest at a rate such that the net effective interest rate of the issue does not exceed the maximum net effective interest rate authori…

Refunding bonds; limited obligations. (a) By ordinance adopted by the governing body at a regular or special meeting, by vote of a majority of the members of the governing body, any bonds issued under this article may be refunded by the municipality without an election, subject t…

Revenue bonds. In addition to the bonds authorized pursuant to W.S. 15-9-212, the municipality may issue revenue bonds payable solely from legally available nontax revenues of the municipality. Except for the foregoing, bonds shall be issued pursuant to all the other provisions o…