15-9-134. Any person or agency may also submit an urban renewal

15-9-134. Any person or agency may also submit an urban renewal plan to a municipality. Prior to approving an urban renewal project, the local governing body shall submit the urban renewal plan to the planning commission of the municipality, if any, for review and recommendations as to its conformity with the general plan for the development of the entire municipality. The planning commission shall submit its written recommendations with respect to the proposed urban plan to the local governing body within thirty (30) days after receipt of the plan for review. Upon receipt of the planning commission recommendations, or if no recommendations are received within thirty (30) days, the local governing body may proceed with the hearing on the proposed urban renewal project in accordance with the provisions of W.S. 15-9-109.

15-9-109. Preliminary requirements for projects; hearing; publication and contents of notice.

(a) The local governing body, under rules or procedures it determines, shall hold a public hearing on any urban renewal project.

(b) A notice of the hearing shall be published in a newspaper having a general circulation in the area of operation of the municipality for two (2) successive weeks, with the last publication thereof to be at least five (5) days prior to the hearing. The notice shall:

(i) Describe the time, date, place and purpose of the hearing;

(ii) Generally identify the urban renewal area covered by the plan; and

(iii) Outline the general scope of the urban renewal project under consideration.

15-9-110. Preliminary requirements for projects; approval by and findings of governing body.

(a) Following the hearing specified in W.S. 15-9-109, the local governing body may approve an urban renewal project and the plan therefor if it finds that:

(i) A feasible method exists for the relocation of families who will be displaced from the urban renewal area in decent, safe and sanitary dwelling accommodations within their means and without undue hardship to those families;

(ii) The urban renewal plan conforms to the general plan of the municipality as a whole;

(iii) The urban renewal plan gives due consideration to the provision of adequate park and recreational areas and facilities that may be desirable for neighborhood improvement, with special consideration for the health, safety and welfare of children residing in the general vicinity of the site covered by the plan;

(iv) The urban renewal plan affords maximum opportunity, consistent with the municipality's needs, for the rehabilitation or redevelopment of the urban renewal area by private enterprise.

(b) If the urban renewal area consists of an area of open land to be acquired by the municipality, the area shall not be so acquired unless:

(i) If it is to be developed for residential uses, the local governing body shall determine that:

(A) A shortage of housing of sound standards and design which is decent, safe and sanitary exists in the municipality;

(B) The need for housing accommodations has been or will be increased as a result of the clearance of slums in other areas;

(C) The conditions of blight in the area and the shortage of decent, safe and sanitary housing cause or contribute to an increase in and spread of disease and crime and constitute a menace to the public health, safety, morals or welfare; and

(D) The acquisition of the area for residential uses is an integral part of and essential to the program of the municipality;

(ii) If it is to be developed for nonresidential uses, the local governing body shall determine that the:

(A) Nonresidential uses are necessary and appropriate to facilitate the proper growth and development of the community in accordance with sound planning standards and local community objectives;

(B) Acquisition may require the exercise of governmental action as provided in this chapter, because of:

(I) Defective or unusual conditions of title;  (II) Diversity of ownership;

(III) Tax delinquency;

(IV) Improper subdivisions;

(V) Outmoded street patterns;

(VI) Deterioration of site;

(VII) Economic disuse;

(VIII) Unsuitable topography or faulty lot layouts;

(IX) Need for the correlation of the area with other areas of a municipality by streets and modern traffic requirements; or

(X) Any combination of factors specified in this subparagraph or other conditions which retard development of the area.

15-9-111. When plan modifiable and effective.

(a) An urban renewal plan may be modified at any time. If a plan is modified after the lease or sale by the municipality of real property in the urban renewal project area, the modification may be conditioned upon the approval of the owner, lessee or successor in interest as the municipality deems advisable. The modification is subject to any rights at law or in equity as a lessee or purchaser, or his successor or successors in interest, are entitled to assert.

(b) Upon the approval by a municipality of an urban renewal plan or of any modification thereof, the plan or modification is deemed to be in full force and effect, and the municipality may then cause the plan or modification to be carried out in accordance with its terms.

15-9-112. Provisions not applicable for disaster area.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, if a local governing body certifies that an area is in need of redevelopment or rehabilitation as a result of a flood, fire, tornado, earthquake, storm or other catastrophe for which the governor of the state has certified the need for disaster assistance under 42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq., or other federal law, the local governing body may approve an urban renewal plan and an urban renewal project for that area without regard to the provisions of W.S. 15-9-109 and the provisions of this act requiring a general plan for the municipality and a public hearing on the urban renewal project.

15-9-113. General powers of municipality.

(a) In addition to any other powers specified by law, every municipality has all the powers necessary to carry out the purposes and provisions of this chapter, including the following powers:

(i) To undertake and carry out urban renewal projects and related activities within its area of operation; and to:

(A) Make and execute contracts and other instruments necessary or convenient to the exercise of its powers under this act;

(B) Disseminate slum clearance and urban renewal information.

(ii) To provide or to arrange or contract for the furnishing or repair by any person or agency, public or private, of services, privileges, works, streets, roads, public utilities or other facilities for or in connection with an urban renewal project;

(iii) To install, construct and reconstruct streets, utilities, parks, playgrounds and other public improvements;

(iv) To agree to any conditions that it deems reasonable and appropriate attached to federal financial assistance and imposed pursuant to federal law relating to the determination of prevailing salaries or wages or compliance with labor standards, in the undertaking or carrying out of an urban renewal project and related activities and to include in any contract let in connection with such a project and related activities, provisions to fulfill those conditions as it deems reasonable and appropriate;

(v) Within its area of operation, to enter into any building or property in any urban renewal area in order to make inspections, surveys, appraisals, soundings or test borings, and to obtain an order for this purpose from a court of competent jurisdiction in the event entry is denied or resisted as provided by law;

(vi) To acquire by purchase, lease, option, gift, grant, bequest, devise, eminent domain or otherwise, any real property (or personal property for its administrative purposes) together with any improvements thereon and to hold, improve, clear or prepare for redevelopment any such property;

(vii) To mortgage, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise encumber or dispose of any real property;

(viii) To insure or provide for the insurance of any real or personal property;

(ix) To enter into any contracts necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act;

(x) To invest any urban renewal project funds held in reserves or sinking funds or any such funds not required for immediate disbursement in property or securities in which savings banks may legally invest funds subject to their control, or to deposit in savings accounts in national or state banks and to redeem any bonds issued pursuant to W.S. 15-9-119 at the redemption price established therein or to purchase those bonds at less than redemption price, all such bonds so redeemed or purchased to be cancelled;

(xi) To borrow money and to apply for and accept any form of financial assistance from any source for the purposes of this chapter, to give such security as may be required, to enter into and carry out contracts or agreements in connection therewith and to include in any contract for financial assistance with the federal government for or with respect to any urban renewal project and related activities such conditions imposed pursuant to federal laws as the municipality deems reasonable and appropriate and which are not inconsistent with the purposes of this chapter;

(xii) Within its area of operation, to make or have made all surveys and plans necessary to the carrying out of the purposes of this chapter and to contract with any person, public or private, in making and carrying out those plans and to adopt or approve, modify and amend those plans, which plans may include but are not limited to:

(A) A general plan for the locality as a whole;  (B) Urban renewal plans;

(C) Plans for carrying out a program of voluntary or compulsory repair and rehabilitation of buildings and improvements;

(D) Plans for the enforcement of state and local laws, codes, ordinances and regulations relating to the use of land, the use and occupancy of buildings and improvements and to the compulsory repair, rehabilitation, demolition or removal of buildings and improvements; and

(E) Perform or contract the performance of appraisals, title searches, surveys, studies and other plans and work necessary to prepare for the undertaking of urban renewal projects and related activities, to develop, test and report methods and techniques and carry out demonstrations and other activities for the prevention and the elimination of slums and urban blight.

(xiii) To prepare plans for and assist in the relocation of any persons displaced by an urban renewal project, and to make relocation payments to or with respect to those persons for moving expenses and losses of property for which reimbursement or compensation is not otherwise made, including the making of such payments financed by the federal government;

(xiv) To appropriate funds, make expenditures and levy taxes and assessments as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this act;

(xv) To zone or rezone any part of the municipality or make exceptions from building regulations;

(xvi) To enter into agreements with an urban renewal agency vested with urban renewal project power under W.S.