PRINEVILLE, Ore. -- A Christmas Nativity scene in front of Prineville City Hall was taken down a bit earlier than usual this week, and likely will need a new home next year, after a group complained the decades-old tradition violated court rulings that bar a specific religion's displays on public property.

The letter came from the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, which says it works to educate about the proper separation of church and state.

"Displaying an inherently Christian message on city property (at the entrance of City Hall!) unmistakably sends the message that the city of Prineville endorses the religious beliefs embodied in the display," the letter says.

"When the government displays the manger scene, which depicts the legendary birth of Jesus Christ, it places the imprimatur of the city government behind the Christian religious doctrine," it continues.

"This excludes citizens who are not Christians -- Jews, native American religion practitioners, animists, etc., as well as the significantly growing portion of the U.S. population that is not religious at all ... including complainants and taxpayers in Prineville."

Prineville City Manager Steve Forrester said Thursday the city won't fight the issue. Instead, councilors will discuss a new home for the Christmas display at their next meeting on Jan. 11

"What we're looking at is, okay, having it in front of City Hall puts the city at risk," Forrester said. "So what are our options?"

"Because we believe that the community supports having a Nativity scene at Christmas time," he said, "so let's find another avenue that takes us out of that high-risk situation and meets the constitutional laws surrounding church and state issues."

Current councilors aren't exactly sure when the tradition started, but believe the Nativity scene has been in front of City Hall every year since the 1980s.

The city manager said if the Nativity scene's location bothered someone in the community, as the letter claimed, he wishes they would have come forward in person, rather than turned to a national organization

Forrester said he expects the council will look into a process that allows not only a Nativity scene for Christians, but a similar display for other faiths. He has contacted the League of Oregon Cities for guidance on the issue.

The likely new location for the display would be in the community square by the Crook County Courthouse.