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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
House Bill 3861
Sponsored by Representative LEVY E
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject
to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the
measure as introduced.The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability
standards.
Digest: The Act makes changes about who can be a director of a soil and water conservation
district. (Flesch Readability Score:60.1).
Makes certain changes related to the qualifications of directors of soil and water conservation
districts.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to conservation districts; amending ORS 568.560.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1. ORS 568.560 is amended to read:
568.560. (1) The local governing body of the soil and water conservation district shall consist
of a board of either five or seven directors elected or appointed as provided by law. To ensure
proper representation of all the people in the district and to facilitate district functions, the State
Department of Agriculture shall provide for the zoning of each district, and shall provide each time
directors are elected or appointed for the proper and equitable representation for each zone.
(2) Two director positions shall be at-large positions.At-large directors must reside within the
district and be registered voters.
(3)(a) All zone directors must be registered voters and reside within the zones they represent in
the district.
(b) In addition to the requirements described in paragraph (a) of this subsection, zone directors
in a district, other than the soil and water conservation district serving Deschutes County,
that does not include any county with a population of 250,000 or more must:
(A) Own or manage 10 or more acres of land in the zones they represent in the district and be
involved in the active management of the land; or
(B) Indicate an interest in natural resource conservation as demonstrated by serving at least
one year as a director or associate director of a district and having a conservation plan that is
approved by the district.
(4) Candidates nominated for director from a specific zone shall be voted on by all electors
within the district.
(5) The directors shall designate a chairperson, secretary and other officers as necessary and
may, from time to time, change such designation.
(6) The term of office of each director shall be four years, except that:
(a) Of the directors first appointed under ORS 568.400, two shall serve until January first fol-
lowing the first general election following their appointment, and three shall serve until January
first following the second general election following their appointment, as determined by the de-
partment, and thereafter, their successors shall be elected as provided by law for other elected di-
NOTE:Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
LC 4426 HB3861
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rectors.
(b) Of the directors first elected as provided in ORS 568.545 (1), three shall serve until January
first following the first general election and four shall serve until January first following the second
general election after the date of their election, as determined by them by lot at the meeting re-
ferred to in ORS 568.545 (1).
(c) Of the directors first elected as provided in ORS 568.565 (1), three shall serve until January
first following the first general election and two shall serve until January first following the second
general election after the date of their election, as determined by them by lot at the meeting re-
ferred to in ORS 568.565 (1).
(d) Of the zone directors elected as provided under ORS 568.565 (2), three shall serve until
January first following the first general election and two shall serve until January first following
the second general election after the date of their election, as determined by lot at the meeting re-
ferred to in ORS 568.565 (2).
(7) A director shall hold office until a successor has been elected or appointed, has qualified and
has taken the oath of office or until the office becomes vacant under subsection (8) of this section.
Any vacancy occurring in the office of director shall be filled as provided by subsection (9) of this
section.
(8) A director position becomes vacant under the following circumstances:
(a) The department, upon the written recommendation of a majority of the members of the local
governing body of a district, may declare vacant the position of a director who is absent from three
consecutive meetings of the local governing body of the district. A position becomes vacant under
this paragraph upon the issuance of the declaration by the department.
(b) No nominee for the position qualifies under ORS 568.530 to have the name of the nominee
furnished to the county clerk for placement on the general district election ballot and no person
qualifies under ORS 568.530 to have write-in votes counted. A position becomes vacant under this
paragraph on January 1.
(c) The department determines that a candidate receiving the most votes at an election does not
qualify under this section to hold the position. A position becomes vacant under this paragraph on
January 1 next following the election at which the unqualified candidate was elected unless an ap-
pointee to the position has been selected under subsection (9) of this section.
(d) A director serving in a position no longer qualifies under this section to hold the position.
A position becomes vacant under this paragraph upon the department’s declaration that the person
no longer qualifies for the position.
(e) A director resigns from a position. A position becomes vacant under this paragraph upon the
department’s receiving notice of the resignation.
(f) A candidate who received the most votes at an election, or an appointee, refuses to take the
oath of office as a director.
(9) A director position that becomes vacant before the scheduled expiration of a term shall be
filled by appointment by a majority of the remaining directors. However, if a majority of the director
positions are vacant or if the remaining directors cannot agree on an appointee, the department
shall make an appointment to fill the position.
(10) An appointment under subsection (9) of this section shall end on January 1 next following
the first general district election held after the appointment. If the appointment ends under this
subsection before the January 1 that would normally complete the four-year term of office for the
position, the position shall be placed on the ballot at the next general election as provided under
[2] HB3861
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ORS 568.530 to fill the position for the remainder of the four-year term.
[3]