Hamlet (Oregon)

A hamlet is a model of local governance in Clackamas County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Like hamlets elsewhere, it is a country subdivision; like New York's hamlets, the definition is unique to a state (in this case, to one county in a state).

Hamlets in Oregon are in addition to villages in Oregon (which were defined at the same time as hamlets) and to Community Planning Organizations (CPOs), which predate both hamlets and villages.

To date, there are four hamlets: Beavercreek, Molalla Prairie, Mulino, and Stafford.

For purposes of the laws related to hamlets and villages, a "citizen" means either

According to Chapter 2.10 of the Clackamas County Code, a hamlet is

A hamlet's boundaries cannot overlap the boundaries of another hamlet, village or city.

To establish a hamlet, a chief petitioner is responsible to collect the required number of citizen signatures and complete a hamlet application form within 120 days. The petition:

A public hearing is then held, with a defined method of public notice beforehand. The BCC can then approve the petition as is, approve it with modifications, or reject it.

If approved, within thirty days an organizational meeting must be held by the hamlet's citizens. The purpose of the meeting is to establish a list of candidates for the hamlet's Board. That list must also be approved by the BCC; once approved, the citizen's meet again, to vote on their board.

Once elected, the Board defines the hamlet's bylaws, which must also be approved by its citizens and the BCC. The Board also defines a hamlet's plan, which defines the activities to be undertaken by the hamlet, and which, like the bylaws, must be approved by its citizens and the BCC.

The ordinance defining hamlets defines similar processes for other aspects of hamlets, such as their dissolution. In particular, Board members acting within their authority as defined by bylaws and county policy are treated as agents of the county for claims made against the organization, officer or member for the purposes of the Oregon Tort Claims Act.

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