16-615. Grade or change of grade; procedure; damages; how ascertained; special assessments.

(1) The mayor and city council of a city of the first class may establish the grade of any street, avenue, or alley in the city or within a county industrial area as defined in section 13-1111 contiguous to such city. When the grade of any street, avenue, or alley has been established, the grade of all or any part shall not be changed unless the city clerk has sent notice of the proposed change in grade to the owners of the lots or land abutting upon the street, avenue, or alley or part of a street, avenue, or alley where such change of grade is to be made. The notice shall be sent to the addresses of the owners as they appear in the office of the register of deeds upon the date of the mailing of the notice. The notice shall be sent by regular United States mail, postage prepaid, postmarked at least twenty-one days before the date upon which the city council takes final action on approval of the ordinance authorizing the change in grade. The notice shall inform the owner of the nature of the proposed change, that final action by the city council is pending, and of the location where additional information on the project may be obtained. Following the adoption of an ordinance changing the grade of all or any part of a street, avenue, or alley, no change in grade shall be made until the damages to property owners which may be caused by such change of grade are determined as provided in sections 76-704 to 76-724.

(2) For the purpose of paying the damages, if any, so awarded, the mayor and city council may borrow money from any available fund in the amount necessary, which amount, upon the collection of such amount by special assessment, shall be transferred from such special fund to the fund from which it has been borrowed. No street, avenue, or alley shall be worked to such grade or change of grade until the damages so assessed shall be tendered to such property owners or their agents. Before the mayor and city council enter into any contract to grade any such street, avenue, or alley, the damages, if any, sustained by the property owners, shall be ascertained by condemnation proceedings. For the purpose of paying the damages awarded and the costs of the condemnation proceedings, the mayor and city council may levy a special assessment upon the lots and lands abutting upon such street, avenue, or alley, or part thereof, so graded, as adjudged by the mayor and city council to be especially benefited in proportion to such benefits. Such assessment shall be collected as other special assessments.

Source

Annotations

Claim for injunctive relief on ground of violation of this section was abandoned in Supreme Court. Danielson v. City of Bellevue, 167 Neb. 809, 95 N.W.2d 57 (1959).

Recovery could not be had for change in grade of street where only damage resulted from destruction of shade trees. Weibel v. City of Beatrice, 163 Neb. 183, 79 N.W.2d 67 (1956).

Where a taxpayer was one of the petitioners for the creation of paving district, and stood by while such improvement was in progress, such taxpayer cannot enjoin the collections of special taxes to pay for such improvement. Kister v. City of Hastings, 108 Neb. 476, 187 N.W. 909 (1922).

Provision for filing of petitions, the assessment and payment of damages, to lot owners, refers to new construction in the creation, opening and improvements of streets, and not to ordinary repairs of streets or alleys. Payment of such repairs, may be made without the levy of special taxes. Hilger v. City of Nebraska City, 97 Neb. 268, 149 N.W. 807 (1914).

Where a husband had created improvements on his wife's lot he was not entitled to recover damages sustained thereto by city's change in the grade. City of Nebraska City v. Northcutt, 45 Neb. 456, 63 N.W. 807 (1895).

Where land owner joins in petition to grade and pave a street, she is not estopped from claiming damages to her property. City of Beatrice v. Leary, 45 Neb. 149, 63 N.W. 370 (1895).

Church property used exclusively for religious purposes is not exempt from special assessments for local improvements. City of Beatrice v. Brethren Church of Beatrice, 41 Neb. 358, 59 N.W. 932 (1894); Von Steen v. City of Beatrice, 36 Neb. 421, 54 N.W. 677 (1893).