Oregon Revised Statutes
Chapter 548 — Provisions Applicable Both to Drainage Districts and to Irrigation
69 sections
Where any lands are subject to assessment by a corporation under the provisions of ORS 554.005 to 554.340, or by a corporation organized before March 4, 1937, under the provisions of chapter 172, Oregon Laws 1911, and Acts amendatory thereof, the owners of the lands or any part thereof and the owners of any additional lands adjacent thereto may proceed to or…
Whenever any drainage or irrigation district has acquired any lands, by gift, purchase, eminent domain or otherwise, for the uses and purposes of the district, and thereafter by reason of a change of its plans or for any other reason determines that all or any part thereof is no longer necessary for the uses or purposes for which it was acquired, the distric…
When the necessity for maintaining any fund of an irrigation or drainage district has ceased to exist and a balance remains in the fund, the governing board of the district shall so declare by proper resolution. The balance shall then forthwith be transferred to the credit of either the operation and maintenance fund or the general fund of the district, as d…
The board of directors of an irrigation district or the board of supervisors of a drainage district may enter into contracts of insurance covering district officers and employees for medical, or any other type of remedial care recognized under state law, surgical, hospital and related services and supplies, life insurance, annuities and other retirement bene…
The board of directors of an irrigation district organized under ORS chapter 545, or the board of supervisors of a drainage district organized under the Drainage District Act, as defined in ORS 547.060, may by petition commence special proceedings in the circuit court of the county in which the office of the district is located for the purpose of having a ju…
The proceedings under ORS 548.105 shall be in the nature of a proceeding in rem. The practice and procedure therein shall follow the practice and procedure of an action not triable by right to a jury, so far as they are consistent with the determination sought to be obtained, except as otherwise provided in ORS 548.105 to 548.115. The jurisdiction of the irr…
Any qualified elector of an irrigation district or drainage district, within 30 days after the entry of any order or the performance of any act mentioned in ORS 548.105, for which a contest is by that section provided, may bring a like proceeding in the circuit court of the county where the lands embraced within such district, or the majority thereof, are si…
In all cases where the board of directors of any irrigation district or the board of supervisors of any drainage district has instituted proceedings for the purpose of having an adjudication of the court as to the regularity and legality of the proceedings in connection with any of the matters specified in ORS 548.105, and where notice has been published dir…
GOVERNMENT LOANS TO IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE DISTRICTS
The board of supervisors of any drainage district or the board of directors of any irrigation district may, whenever it is determined by such board that it is for the best interests of the district, enter into a contract with any governmental agency of the State of Oregon for a loan:
For the refunding of any or all of its outstanding indebtedness;
For the …
The board of supervisors of any drainage district or the board of directors of any irrigation district may, whenever it is determined by such board that it is for the best interests of the district, enter into a contract with any governmental agency of the United States, for a loan:
For the refunding of any or all of its outstanding indebtedness;
For the r…
All contracts entered into before November 15, 1935, by any drainage district or irrigation district with any governmental agency of the United States, and any bonds issued before or after November 15, 1935, pursuant to such contract, for any of the purposes provided by ORS 548.305 to 548.325, which comply with the provisions of ORS 548.305 and are otherwise…
For the purpose of carrying into effect provisions contained in any contract so to be executed, the board of such district may, with the approval of the electors of the district, issue bonds in any denomination, bearing interest from date at a rate determined by the board, and to mature in not more than 40 years. The bonds shall be general obligations of the…
The contract may provide for a lien docket which shall be furnished by the district to the county clerk of each county in which lands of the district are situated, and in which shall be set forth a description of the lands within the district and liable under such bonds, described under the present individual ownership by metes and bounds or by calls or by r…
In addition to the annual charges or assessments provided for in ORS 548.315, and in addition to the charges or assessments authorized by law for the maintenance and operation of drainage and irrigation districts, such contract may provide that the board shall impose an annual charge not to exceed 50 cents per acre upon each acre in the district. All moneys …
All bonds of any irrigation or drainage district authorized or issued by the district in the manner provided by ORS 548.305 to 548.325, for the purpose of refunding any outstanding bonds or warrants of the district in accordance with the terms and provisions of a contract therefor between the district and any governmental agency of the United States shall co…
When any irrigation or drainage district has adopted a plan for refunding and compromising any or all of its outstanding indebtedness, and pursuant to ORS 548.305 to 548.325 has entered into a contract with any governmental agency for a loan for the purpose of carrying out such plan, and the board of directors or board of supervisors for the purpose of carry…
The petition shall set forth the plan for refunding and compromising the indebtedness and shall further recite what percentage in amount of the holders of the evidences of indebtedness to be refunded or retired have filed their written consent to the proposed plan, which percentage shall not be less than 90 percent, and shall further set forth what steps hav…
Upon presentation of the petition to the judge of the court, the judge shall, if it appears that diligent efforts have been made by the irrigation or drainage district to ascertain the names and places of residence of all the holders of the evidences of indebtedness so to be refunded and compromised, authorize the district to publish, and it shall publish fo…
After the expiration of 90 days from the date of the first publication of the notice and the service and mailing thereof, as set forth in ORS 548.345, the district shall file in the proceeding in the circuit court its verified return of its acts made under the order of the court, attaching affidavits of the publication of the notice in three newspapers, and …
The procedure in the circuit court under the provisions of ORS 548.340 to 548.350 shall be in the nature of an action in rem not triable by right to a jury. Any holders of any evidences of indebtedness affected by any such court procedure provided for in those sections, or any other interested party, may appeal to the Court of Appeals at any time within 30 d…
All moneys and securities received under ORS 548.350 may be deposited with the State Treasurer for safekeeping.
Whenever any governmental agency of the United States has authorized a loan to or for the benefit of any irrigation or drainage district in Oregon for the purpose of refinancing the outstanding indebtedness of the district, the State Treasurer may act as depositary for the bondholders and other creditors of the district and as such may do all things that may…
The board of supervisors of any drainage district or the board of directors of any irrigation district may cancel or compromise any special assessments assessed and levied by such board on lands within the district if the district is refunding its outstanding indebtedness through any governmental agency of the United States. When such assessments are cancele…
The county treasurer of the county in which the district is headquartered may accept deposits of bonds, warrants or other evidences of indebtedness of irrigation and drainage districts under the process of reorganization, pursuant to the provisions of ORS 545.629 to 545.639, or as may otherwise be provided by law.
The county treasurer shall deposit such bon…
Whenever one claiming to be a lawful owner of a certificate of deposit or receipt issued by the county treasurer, covering securities issued by an irrigation or drainage district, satisfies the county treasurer that such certificate of deposit or receipt has been lost, stolen or destroyed and that the claimant is the owner thereof, the county treasurer may s…
Whenever one in possession of a certificate of deposit or receipt issued by the county treasurer as evidence of the deposit of securities issued by an irrigation or drainage district, who is neither the one to whom such certificate of deposit or receipt was issued nor one to whom it has been properly assigned, but who claims to be the owner of such certifica…
The surety bond to be filed under ORS 548.405 or 548.410 shall be for double the amount of the face value of the securities described in such certificate of deposit or receipt, if the securities are to be surrendered, or double the amount the claimant is to receive from moneys or securities deposited with the county treasurer, with two or more sureties, qual…
If any drainage or irrigation district assessment levied on any property liable thereto is prevented from being collected for any year by reason of any erroneous proceeding, or if such levy is adjudged void for want of form or manner of procedure, or otherwise, the same may be collected, relisted, reassessed and relevied in the manner and at the times provid…
If any such levy of assessment is declared void by a court of competent jurisdiction, then all similar assessments levied in the same or other years by the drainage or irrigation district which under the decision of the court are also void, may be reassessed, relisted and relevied against the property affected, in the manner provided by law and in conformity…
The relevy and reassessment of drainage and irrigation district assessments provided for by law shall be made in the same manner, and by the same officers who, at the time the new listing or levy is made, are authorized by law to list property and compute, levy and assess taxes or assessments against property in the drainage or irrigation district.
The provisions of ORS 548.370 relating to the authority of drainage and irrigation districts to cancel or compromise any special assessment shall apply to any relevy or reassessment by a drainage or irrigation district which is provided by law.
COMPOSITION; BANKRUPTCY; REFUNDING AGREEMENTS
At any time subsequent to default in the payment of principal or interest upon the bonded or warrant indebtedness of any irrigation or drainage district of this state, the board of directors or board of supervisors may cause a petition to be filed in the Federal District Court pursuant to the provisions of the Federal Bankruptcy Act. The consent of the state…
Whenever any irrigation or drainage district files its petition in bankruptcy pursuant to the provisions of the Act of Congress approved May 24, 1934, authorizing bankruptcy proceedings by municipalities and other political subdivisions of any state, the district may, for the purpose of carrying out any plan of readjustment of its indebtedness which has been…
Whenever any irrigation or drainage district engaged in the refunding of its indebtedness has entered into a contract for such purposes with 80 percent or more of the owners or holders of its bonds, warrants or other evidences of indebtedness, such district may proceed to obtain the constructive consent of the unknown or nonconsenting owners or holders of su…
REORGANIZATION AND DISSOLUTION
As used in ORS 548.900 to 548.955, except as otherwise expressly provided:
“District” means an irrigation district organized under ORS chapter 545 or a drainage district organized under ORS chapter 547.
“District board” means the board of directors of an irrigation district, or the board of supervisors of a drainage district.
A majority of the qualified electors and landowners of a district, representing at least one-half of the acres of land assessed by the district, may by petition propose a plan for the dissolution or reorganization of the district.
The petition shall state:
That the petition is filed under ORS 548.900 to 548.955.
The name of the district.
The nature, term…
Each person signing a petition shall add after the signature of the person the date of signing and place of residence, giving street and number or a designation sufficient to enable the place of residence to be readily ascertained, and the number of acres of land owned by the signer. The name of the county whose assessment roll is used for the purpose of det…
A petition shall not be accepted for filing unless the signatures thereon have been secured within six months of the date on which the first signature on the petition was affixed. Petitions shall be filed with the secretary of the district board. It is not necessary to offer all counterparts of a petition for filing at the same time, but all counterparts whe…
If the petition is accepted and filed by the district secretary, the secretary shall, within 30 days thereafter, cause a notice of the filing to be published in one or more newspapers of general circulation within the district or, if there is no such newspaper, in a newspaper of general circulation in each county in which the district is located. The secreta…
Within 10 days after the filing of a petition that meets the requirements of ORS 548.920 (3) and 548.920 (2)(c), the district board shall call a special election to be held not less than 30 or more than 60 days after date the petition is filed.
The board shall cause notice of the election to be published once a week for three successive weeks, being three p…
Upon canvass of the votes, if it is found and declared by the district board that a majority of the qualified electors and landowners of the district, representing at least one-half of the acres of land assessed by the district, voted against the dissolution or reorganization of the district, the petition for dissolution or reorganization shall be denied and…
Proceedings in the circuit court upon the petition shall be in the nature of a proceeding in rem and shall be conducted as an action not triable by right to a jury and any judgment or final order of the circuit court shall be subject to appeal in the same manner as other cases in equity. The court may appoint masters or referees as it considers desirable and…
Jurisdiction of all interested parties may be had by the publication of summons in the manner provided by ORCP 7. Copies of the summons and the petition of the district shall be mailed to each qualified elector and landowner at the mailing address as shown by the records of the county clerk, the county tax collector and the county assessor, and to all known …
If a contract authorized by law has been made between the district and the United States for the construction, operation or maintenance of necessary works or for a water supply, a judgment may not be entered by the court until written assent to the judgment by the Secretary of the Interior has been filed with the court.
Any interested party may appear in the proceedings. Costs and disbursements may be allowed and divided between the parties or taxed to the losing party or parties in the discretion of the court.
The judgment of the court shall order the clerk of the court to file certified copies of the judgment with the county treasurer and the county assessor of each county in which any property located within or assessed by the district is located, and with the Secretary of State and the Water Resources Commission.
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