Section 197.840 - Exceptions to deadline for final decision(1) The following periods of delay shall be excluded from the 77-day period within which the board must make a final decision on a petition under ORS 197.830(14): (a) Any period of delay up to 120 days resulting from the board's deferring all or part of its consideration of a petition for review of a land use decision or limited land use decision that allegedly violates the goals if the decision has been: (A) Submitted for acknowledgment under ORS 197.251; or(B) Submitted to the Department of Land Conservation and Development as part of a periodic review work program task pursuant to ORS 197.628 to 197.651 and not yet acknowledged.(b) Any period of delay resulting from a motion, including but not limited to, a motion disputing the constitutionality of the decision, standing, ex parte contacts or other procedural irregularities not shown in the record.(c) Any reasonable period of delay resulting from a request for a stay under ORS 197.845.(d) Any reasonable period of delay resulting from a continuance granted by a member of the board on the member's own motion or at the request of one of the parties, if the member granted the continuance on the basis of findings that the ends of justice served by granting the continuance outweigh the best interest of the public and the parties in having a decision within 77 days.(2) No period of delay resulting from a continuance granted by the board under subsection (1)(d) of this section shall be excludable under this section unless the board sets forth in the record, either orally or in writing, its reasons for finding that the ends of justice served by granting the continuance outweigh the best interests of the public and the other parties in a decision within the 77 days. The factors the board shall consider in determining whether to grant a continuance under subsection (1)(d) of this section in any case are as follows: (a) Whether the failure to grant a continuance in the proceeding would be likely to make a continuation of the proceeding impossible or result in a miscarriage of justice; or(b) Whether the case is so unusual or so complex, due to the number of parties or the existence of novel questions of fact or law, that it is unreasonable to expect adequate consideration of the issues within the 77-day time limit.(3) No continuance under subsection (1)(d) of this section shall be granted because of general congestion of the board calendar or lack of diligent preparation or attention to the case by any member of the board or any party.(4) The board may defer all or part of its consideration of a land use decision or limited land use decision described in subsection (1)(a) of this section until the Land Conservation and Development Commission has disposed of the acknowledgment proceeding described in subsection (1)(a) of this section. If the board deferred all or part of its consideration of a decision under this subsection, the board may grant a stay of the comprehensive plan provision, land use regulation, limited land use decision or land use decision under ORS 197.845.1983 c.827 §33; 1989 c.761 §25; 1991 c.612 §19; 1991 c.817 §27; 1995 c.595 §18; 1999 c.348 §18; 1999 c.621 §8