(1) Proceedings to consolidate two or more soil and water conservation districts may be initiated by:
(a) Petitions to consolidate filed with the State Department of Agriculture by any 25 or more owners of land within the districts affected; or
(b) Resolutions to consolidate adopted by the board of directors of each district to be affected by the consolidation and filed with the department.
(2) If consolidation is initiated as provided in this section, proceedings on the resolutions or petitions shall be as provided for proceedings to organize a district except as otherwise provided by this section and ORS 568.460, 568.470 and 568.545.
(3) A referendum on the consolidation shall be called by the department:
(a) If, at the hearing called by the department on the proposed consolidation or within 30 days after the hearing, written objections to the consolidation are filed with the department by 10 percent of the landowners in any one of the consolidating districts.
(b) Even if no objections are filed with the department as provided in this subsection, unless within 60 days following the hearing the board of each consolidated district, by a two-thirds vote, approves the consolidation and the boundaries of the consolidated district as approved by the department.
(4) The department shall prescribe the form for petitions to consolidate which shall contain the information necessary to the proceedings and be similar to the form prescribed in ORS 568.300 for petitions to organize a district. [Amended by 1965 c.155 §1; 1981 c.92 §21; 2005 c.281 §1]
Section: Previous 568.400 568.410 568.420 568.430 568.435 568.440 568.445 568.450 568.460 568.470 568.480 568.490 568.500 568.510 568.515 NextLast modified: August 7, 2008