49-14,103.01. Officer, defined; interest in contract prohibited; when.
(1) For purposes of sections 49-14,103.01 to 49-14,103.06, unless the context otherwise requires, officer means (a) a member of the board of directors of a natural resources district, (b) a member of the board of directors of a district organized under Chapter 70, (c) a member of any board or commission of any county, school district, city, or village which spends and administers its own funds, who is dealing with a contract made by such board or commission, (d) any elected county, school district, educational service unit, city, or village official, and (e) a member of any board of directors or trustees of a hospital district as provided by the Nebraska Local Hospital District Act or a county hospital as provided by sections 23-3501 to 23-3519. Officer does not mean volunteer firefighters or ambulance drivers with respect to their duties as firefighters or ambulance drivers.
(2) Except as provided in section 49-1499.04 or 70-624.04, no officer may have an interest in any contract to which his or her governing body, or anyone for its benefit, is a party. The existence of such an interest in any contract shall render the contract voidable by decree of a court of competent jurisdiction as to any person who entered into the contract or took assignment of such contract with actual knowledge of the prohibited conflict.
(3) An action to have a contract declared void under this section may be brought by the county attorney, the governing body, or any resident within the jurisdiction of the governing body and shall be brought within one year after the contract is signed or assigned. The decree may provide for the reimbursement of any person for the reasonable value of all money, goods, material, labor, or services furnished under the contract, to the extent that the governing body has benefited thereby.
(4) The prohibition in this section shall apply only when the officer or his or her parent, spouse, or child (a) has a business association as defined in section 49-1408 with the business involved in the contract or (b) will receive a payment, fee, or commission as a result of the contract.
(5) The prohibition in this section does not apply if the contract is an agenda item approved at a board meeting and the interested officer:
(a) Makes a declaration on the record to the governing body responsible for approving the contract regarding the nature and extent of his or her interest prior to official consideration of the contract;
(b) Does not vote on the matters of granting the contract, making payments pursuant to the contract, or accepting performance of work under the contract, or similar matters relating to the contract, except that if the number of members of the governing body declaring an interest in the contract would prevent the body with all members present from securing a quorum on the issue, then all members may vote on the matters; and
(c) Does not act for the governing body which is party to the contract as to inspection or performance under the contract in which he or she has an interest.
(6) The receiving of deposits, cashing of checks, and buying and selling of warrants and bonds of indebtedness of any such governing body by a financial institution shall not be considered a contract for purposes of this section. The ownership of less than five percent of the outstanding shares of a corporation shall not constitute an interest within the meaning of this section.
(7) If an officer's parent, spouse, or child is an employee of his or her governing body, the officer may vote on all issues of the contract which are generally applicable to (a) all employees or (b) all employees within a classification and do not single out his or her parent, spouse, or child for special action.
(8) Section 49-14,102 does not apply to contracts covered by sections 49-14,103.01 to 49-14,103.06.
(9)(a) This section does not prohibit a director of a natural resources district from acting as a participant in any of the conservation or other general district programs which are available for like participation to other residents and landowners of the district or from granting, selling, or otherwise transferring to such district any interest in real property necessary for the exercise of its powers and authorities if the cost of acquisition thereof is equal to or less than that established by a board of three credentialed real property appraisers or by a court of competent jurisdiction in an eminent domain proceeding.
(b) District payments to a director of a natural resources district of the market value for real property owned by him or her and needed for district projects, or for cost sharing for conservation work on such director's land or land in which a director may have an interest, shall not be deemed subject to this section.
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