26-201. Cities; authority to condemn; interest acquired; resolution, notice, ordinance; exercise of power. A city shall have the right to acquire by condemnation any interest in real property, including a fee simple title thereto, but cities shall not have the right to acquire a fee simple title to property condemned solely for street purposes. Whenever it shall be deemed necessary by the governing body of any city to appropriate private property for the use of the city for any purpose whatsoever, the governing body shall by resolution declare such necessity and authorize a survey and description of the land or interest to be condemned to be made by a licensed land surveyor or a professional engineer who is competent to conduct a land survey and filed with the city clerk. Such resolution shall be published once in the official city newspaper. Upon the filing of the survey and description of the land or interest to be condemned the governing body shall by ordinance authorize and provide for the acquisition of such land or interest, setting forth such condemnation, the interest to be taken and for what purpose the same is to be used. If in the opinion of the governing body any property is specially benefited by the proposed improvement such property shall be designated as the benefit district and the same shall be fixed by the ordinance authorizing and providing for the acquisition of the land or interest. The governing body, as soon as practicable after passage of the ordinance authorizing and providing for the appropriation of such land or interest and the fixing of the benefit district, if any is fixed, shall proceed to exercise the power of eminent domain in accordance with the eminent domain procedure act.

History: R.S. 1923, 26-201; L. 1963, ch. 234, § 71; L. 1967, ch. 211, § 1; L. 1972, ch. 147, § 1; L. 2006, ch. 192, § 10; July 1.