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As reported in a Philomath Express news article and a League of Oregon Cities bulletin post, last month the Oregon Court of Appeals upheld state law regarding annexation. In its May 13th ruling, the court upheld Senate Bill 1573. Despite cities desire to maintain their voter approval annexation requirements, the court ruling preempts local charters and requires the cities to review and approve certain petitions without subjecting them to an election. The challengers have 35 days, until June 17, to appeal the appellate court’s May decision. Oregon City decided last November to wait on the court ruling while maintaining its policy to continue referring all proposed annexations to the voters. As discussed in a previous newsletter, HBA opposes the Oregon City Commission decision to hold annexation elections, which blatantly conflicts state law. Since the ruling, senior Oregon City staff have indicated the topic will be on the commission’s agenda within the next few months. HBA applauds the Court of Appeals decision and will continue advocating for adherence to state-required annexation law in Oregon City and around the region. To learn more about HBA engagement in Oregon City, contact Roseann Johnson at roseannj@hbapdx.org.