15-701. Streets, sidewalks, public ways; improvements; condemnation; vacating; sale, exchange, or lease of property.

The city council shall have power by ordinance to create, open, widen or otherwise improve, vacate, control, name, and rename any street, alley, or public way or ways, including the sidewalk space within the limits of the city, except that all damages sustained by the owners of the property thereon by opening or widening shall be ascertained in the manner set forth in sections 76-704 to 76-724. Whenever any street, alley, or public way shall be vacated, the same shall revert to the owners of the adjacent real estate, one-half on each side thereof, unless the city reserves title thereto in the ordinance vacating such street, alley, or public way. In the event title is retained by the city, such property may be sold, conveyed, exchanged, or leased upon such terms and conditions as shall be deemed in the best interests of the city, as authorized in its home rule charter. When the city vacates all or any portion of a street, alley, or public way or ways, the city shall, within thirty days after the effective date of the vacation, file a certified copy of the vacating ordinance with the register of deeds for the county in which the vacated property is located to be indexed against all affected lots.

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Annotations

Primary class city council action to vacate street or alley, retain title, and later sell property will not be overturned on review unless fraud, illegality of proceedings, absence of jurisdiction, or abuse of discretion clearly shown. Cather & Sons Constr., Inc. v. City of Lincoln, 200 Neb. 510, 264 N.W.2d 413 (1978).

Special proviso in Viaduct Act was enacted in view of this and other articles. State ex rel. City of Grand Island v. Union Pacific R. R. Co., 152 Neb. 772, 42 N.W.2d 867 (1950).