§ 17-503 — Real property; sale; exception; procedure; remonstrance petition; procedure; hearing

(1) Except as provided in section 17-503.01 , the power of any city of the second class or village to convey any real property owned by it, including land used for park purposes and public squares, except real property used in the operation of public utilities, shall be exercised by resolution directing the sale of such real property.
(2) After the passage of the resolution directing the sale, notice of all proposed sales of property described in subsection (1) of this section and the terms of such sales shall be published once each week for three consecutive weeks in a legal newspaper in or of general circulation in such city or village.
(3) If within thirty days after the third publication of the notice a remonstrance petition against such sale (a) conforms to section 32-628 , (b) is signed by registered voters of the city or village equal in number to thirty percent of the registered voters of the city or village voting at the last regular municipal election held in such city or village, and (c) is filed with the governing body of such city or village, such property shall not then, nor within one year thereafter, be sold. If the date for filing the petition falls upon a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the signatures shall be collected within the thirty-day period, but the filing shall be considered timely if filed or postmarked on or before the next business day. Upon the receipt of the petition, the governing body of such city or village, with the aid and assistance of the election commissioner or county clerk, shall determine the validity and sufficiency of signatures on the petition. The governing body of such city or village shall deliver the petition to the election commissioner or county clerk by hand carrier, by use of law enforcement officials, or by certified mail, return receipt requested. Upon receipt of the petition, the election commissioner or county clerk shall issue to the governing body a written receipt that the petition is in the custody of the election commissioner or county clerk. The election commissioner or county clerk shall compare the signature of each person signing the petition with the voter registration records to determine if each signer was a registered voter on or before the date on which the petition was filed with the governing body. The election commissioner or county clerk shall also compare the signer's printed name, street and number or voting precinct, and city, village, or post office address with the voter registration records to determine whether the signer was a registered voter. The signature and address shall be presumed to be valid only if the election commissioner or county clerk determines that the printed name, street and number or voting precinct, and city, village, or post office address matches the registration records and that the registration was received on or before the date on which the petition was filed with the governing body. The determinations of the election commissioner or county clerk may be rebutted by any credible evidence which the governing body finds sufficient. The express purpose of the comparison of names and addresses with the voter registration records, in addition to helping to determine the validity of the petition, the sufficiency of the petition, and the qualifications of the signer, shall be to prevent fraud, deception, and misrepresentation in the petition process. Upon completion of the comparison of names and addresses with the voter registration records, the election commissioner or county clerk shall prepare in writing a certification under seal setting forth the name and address of each signer found not to be a registered voter and the signature page number and line number where the name is found, and if the reason for the invalidity of the signature or address is other than the nonregistration of the signer, the election commissioner or county clerk shall set forth the reason for the invalidity of the signature. If the election commissioner or county clerk determines that a signer has affixed his or her signature more than once to the petition and that only one person is registered by that name, the election commissioner or county clerk shall prepare in writing a certification under seal setting forth the name of the duplicate signature and shall count only the earliest dated signature. The election commissioner or county clerk shall certify to the governing body the number of valid signatures necessary to constitute a valid petition. The election commissioner or county clerk shall deliver the petition and the certifications to the governing body within forty days after the receipt of the petition from the governing body. The delivery shall be by hand carrier, by use of law enforcement officials, or by certified mail, return receipt requested. Not more than twenty signatures on one signature page shall be counted.
The governing body shall, within thirty days after the receipt of the petition and certifications from the election commissioner or county clerk, hold a public hearing to review the petition and certifications and receive testimony regarding them. The governing body shall, following the hearing, vote on whether or not the petition is valid and shall uphold the petition if sufficient valid signatures have been received.
(4) Real property now owned or hereafter owned by a city of the second class or a village may be conveyed without consideration to the State of Nebraska for state armory sites or, if acquired for state armory sites, shall be conveyed strictly in accordance with the conditions of sections 18-1001 to 18-1006 .
(5) Following (a) passage of the resolution directing a sale, (b) publishing of the notice of the proposed sale, and (c) passing of the thirty-day right-of-remonstrance period, the property shall then be sold. Such sale shall be confirmed by passage of an ordinance stating the name of the purchaser and terms of the sale.
(6) Notwithstanding the procedures in subsections (1) through (5) of this section, real property owned by a city of the second class or a village may be conveyed when such property:
(a) Is sold in compliance with the requirements of federal or state grants or programs;
(b) Is conveyed to another public agency; or
(c) Consists of streets and alleys.

Legislative History

Source: Laws 1879, § 56, p. 207; R.S.1913, § 5080; Laws 1917, c. 100, § 1, p. 264; C.S.1922, § 4252; C.S.1929, § 17-401; Laws 1933, c. 29, § 1, p. 206; Laws 1935, Spec. Sess., c. 10, § 8, p. 76; Laws 1937, c. 30, § 1, p. 153; Laws 1941, c. 25, § 1, p. 120; Laws 1941, c. 130, § 14, p. 498; C.S.Supp.,1941, § 17-401; Laws 1943, c. 34, § 1, p. 153; R.S.1943, § 17-503; Laws 1957, c. 30, § 1, p. 190; Laws 1957, c. 31, § 1, p. 193; Laws 1971, LB 399, § 1; Laws 1981, LB 33, § 1; Laws 1982, LB 909, § 4; Laws 1988, LB 793, § 5; Laws 1993, LB 59, § 2; Laws 1997, LB 230, § 2; Laws 2003, LB 476, § 1; Laws 2017, LB133, § 119; Laws 2017, LB315, § 1; Laws 2022, LB843, § 1. Annotations: Attempted sale of real estate without compliance with this section is void. Oman v. City of Wayne, 149 Neb. 303, 30 N.W.2d 921 (1948). Question raised but not decided as to validity of conveyance from nominal purchaser at tax sale where city was real owner of title. Taxpayers' League of Wayne County v. Wightman, 139 Neb. 212, 296 N.W. 886 (1941).