Pieper v. Health Division

606 P.2d 1145, 288 Or. 551, 1980 Ore. LEXIS 743
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 20, 1980
DocketNo. CA 12722, SC 26331
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 606 P.2d 1145 (Pieper v. Health Division) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pieper v. Health Division, 606 P.2d 1145, 288 Or. 551, 1980 Ore. LEXIS 743 (Or. 1980).

Opinion

TONGUE, J.

This is a petition for review of an order by the Oregon State Health Division pursuant to ORS 222.880 under which the City of Corvallis would be required to annex an area adjacent to that city without a vote of "the electorate” based upon findings that a danger to public health exists in that area.1 The Court of Appeals affirmed without opinion. 40 Or App 485, 595 P2d 851 (1979). We granted review limited to the question whether the order by the Health Division was a valid order in view of ORS 222.915, which provides that:

"The provisions of ORS 222.850 to 222.915 do not apply to proceedings to annex territory to any city if the charter or ordinances of the city conflict with or are inconsistent with ORS 222.850 to 222.915.”2 (Emphasis added)

Petitioner contends that the order by the Health Division was invalid because Section 88 of the Corvallis City Charter requires that annexations be put to a vote of "the electorate,” and that the proceedings under ORS 222.850-222.915 in this case are "inconsistent” with that section of the Corvallis City Charter, which provides as follows:

"Unless mandated by state law, annexation, delayed or otherwise, to the City of Corvallis may only be approved by a prior majority vote among the electorate.” (Emphasis added)

In support of that contention, petitioner argues that it appears from an examination of the legislative history of ORS 222.850-222.915, as adopted in 1967 (1967 [554]*554Or Laws ch 624) that the legislature "wished to insure that both the city (and) the outlying area could initiate the procedure” for annexation of areas found to be a danger to public health, but that because the legislature "disfavored an annexation between the unwilling parties,” it "was concerned that the city be given an out to avoid violations of its own charter,” and that, for these reasons, ORS 222.915 was originally enacted with two sections and provided as follows:

"The provisions of ORS 222.850 to 222.915 do not apply to proceedings to annex territory to any city:
"(1) If the charter or ordinances of the city conflict with or are inconsistent with ORS 222.850 to 222.915; and
"(2) Unless the charter and ordinances of the city authorize and require the city to proceed in accordance with ORS 222.850 to 222.915.”

In 1971 the legislature amended ORS 222.915 by deleting section (2) (1971 Or Laws ch 673 § 5). In 1976 the City of Corvallis amended its charter by enacting § 88, as set forth above. According to counsel for petitioner, Corvallis is the only city in Oregon with such a charter provision.

Petitioner contends that "despite the words 'unless mandated by state law,’ there is a conflict with the intent of the Corvallis Charter § 88 to put annexation to the vote of the people.” According to petitioner’s brief, that conflict arises as follows:

"The legislature’s concern that reciprocity be presented [sic] also enters consideration here. Under ORS 222.860, a city may initiate an involuntary annexation. But in the case of Corvallis, the City Charter expressly says that the city may only annex if mandated by state law. Thus, Corvallis is precluded by its charter in initiating this voluntary proceeding.
"Since the outlying area can petition to start the annexation procedure while the city cannot, reciprocity is lost and the city is forced into acting in a manner which it cannot act on its own initiative, violating the legislative intent.
[555]*555"Such a result, considered in light of the express desire of Corvallis residents to vote on all annexations, is inconsistent with the provisions of ORS 222.850-222.915.” (Emphasis in original)

The fallacy of these contentions, in our view, arises from the premise on which they are based — "the express desire of Corvallis residents to vote on all annexations.” On the contrary, section 88 of the Corvallis City Charter specifically provides that annexations "mandated by state law” need not be approved by such a vote. Under this analysis, the only remaining question in this case is whether this annexation is one "mandated by state law.”

As stated by petitioner, ORS 222.915, as originally adopted in 1967, included, as subsection (2), a requirement to the effect that a proceeding under ORS 222.850 to 222.915 for health danger annexation without a vote of "the electorate” could not be initiated by residents of an outlying area "unless the charter and ordinances of the city authorize and require the city” to also initiate such a proceeding under that same statute. As also stated by the petitioner, that subsection was repealed in 1971.

ORS 222.850 to 222.915 provides a procedure for annexation by cities without a vote of its "electorate” of outlying areas in which conditions are found to constitute a danger to public health. By the terms of that statute such proceedings may be instituted in any one of three ways:

(1) The council of any city "may” initiate such a proceeding by passing a resolution proposing such an annexation. The local board of health shall then verify the conditions alleged in the proposal, after which the resolution is sent by the city council to the State Health Division with a request that it ascertain whether conditions dangerous to the public health exist in that area (ORS 222.860).

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Related

City of Corvallis v. State of Oregon
464 P.3d 1127 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 2020)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
606 P.2d 1145, 288 Or. 551, 1980 Ore. LEXIS 743, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pieper-v-health-division-or-1980.