Apodaca v. Wilson

525 P.2d 876, 86 N.M. 516
CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 23, 1974
Docket9586
StatusPublished
Cited by44 cases

This text of 525 P.2d 876 (Apodaca v. Wilson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Apodaca v. Wilson, 525 P.2d 876, 86 N.M. 516 (N.M. 1974).

Opinion

OPINION

MONTOYA, Justice.

On August 2, 1971, the Albuquerque City Commission adopted Ordinance 102-1971 which increased sewer and water service charges over those charged under the superseded ordinance. On the same day, the City Commission adopted Budget Resolution No. 2, where by its terms, the City requests approval by the Attorney General and the Department of Finance and Administration for budget transfers and increases enumerated in schedules attached to the resolution. The schedules indicated that water and sewer revenues increased by the amount of $1,505,233, and that from such amount $1,129,903 was to be appropriated to the general fund of the City and appropriated from the general fund to cover budget increases for various departments of the municipality.

Plaintiffs Apodaca, Ames and Edmon filed a complaint against the City of Albuquerque and its agents (City) on January 14, 1972, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated, seeking to enjoin the City from collecting increased sewer and water service charges under the city ordinance. The plaintiffs also sought an order invalidating City Ordinance 102-1971 as being in violation of state law and the New Mexico Constitution, and directing the refund of any service charges previously collected under the ordinance. Subsequently, the Albuquerque Consumer Federation and New Mexico Taxpayers Association intervened as party-plaintiffs, seeking the same relief as the original plaintiffs.

On May 12, 1972, the court, sitting without a jury, dismissed plaintiffs’ complaint and entered judgment for the City. This appeal ensued.

Plaintiffs advance five contentions seeking reversal of the trial court’s decision. First, they argue that Ordinance 102-1971 violated New Mexico law. Article X of the New Mexico Constitution was amended by the adoption of § 6 on November 3, 1970. This section, known as the municipal home rule amendment, states in pertinent part :

“D. A municipality which adopts a charter may exercise all legislative powers and perform all functions not expressly denied by general law or charter. This grant of powers shall not include the power to enact private or civil laws governing civil relationships except as incident to the exercise of an independent municipal power, nor shall it include the power to provide for a penalty greater than the penalty provided for a petty misdemeanor. No tax imposed by the governing body of a charter municipality, except a tax authorized by general law, shall become effective until approved by a majority vote in the charter municipality.
“E. The purpose of this section is to provide for maximum local self-government. A liberal construction shall be given to the powers of municipalities. (As added November 3, 1970.)”

Pursuant to art. X, § 6, the charter of the City of Albuquerque was amended at a special election on June 29, 1971, to adopt the home rule powers set out above. Thereafter, the City adopted Ordinance 102-1971.

Plaintiffs argue that §§ 14-26-4 and 14-25-2, N.M.S.A., 1953 (Repl. Vol. 3, 1968), set out the limitations which are to be adhered to by the City in the formulation of any service charge rates. Section 14-26-4, supra, states in pertinent part that:

“A municipality owning and operating a water utility may :
“A. A municipality, for the purpose of maintaining, enlarging, extending, constructing and repairing water facilities, and for paying the interest and principal on revenue bonds issued for the construction of water facilities, may levy, by general ordinance, a just and reasonable service charge, * * * [.]”

Section 14 — 25-2(A), supra, provides that:

“A. A municipality, for the purpose of maintaining, enlarging, extending, constructing and repairing sewage facilities, and for paying the interest and principal on revenue bonds issued for the construction of sewage facilities, may levy, by general ordinance, a just and reasonable service charge, ***[.] ”

The initial hurdle then is whether the City’s rate increase (Ordinance 102-1971) is to be confined by the limitations set forth in §§ 14 — 26-4 and 14 — 25-2(A), supra, or whether by virtue of its home rule status, compliance with these statutes is not required.

Article I of the Albuquerque City Charter provides as follows:

“The municipal corporation now existing and known as the City of Albuquerque shall remain and continue to be a body corporate and may exercise all legislative powers and perform all functions not expressly denied by general law or charter. Unless otherwise provided in this charter, the power of the City to legislate is permissive and not mandatory. If the City does not legislate, it may nevertheless act in the manner provided by law. The purpose of this charter is to provide for maximum local self-government. A liberal construction shall be given to the powers granted by this charter.”

The provisions of N.M. Const., art. X, § 6, and art. I of the City Charter enable the City, as a municipal corporation, to exercise all legislative powers and to perform all functions not expressly denied by the City Charter or general state law.

This case involves the first interpretation to be made by this court of the constitutional amendment conferring “home rule” upon municipalities in New Mexico who have adopted a city charter under the authority of such constitutional amendment.

The pertinent provisions of such amendment, N.M. Const., art. X, § 6(D), enable the City as a municipal corporation to “exercise all legislative powers and perform all functions not expressly denied by general law or charter.” Subsection (E) of the amendment states that its purpose is to provide for maximum self-government, and that a liberal construction shall be given powers of municipalities.

Other jurisdictions having home rule, through either constitutional authority or legislative enactment, have considered the question of the extent of home rule power. Broadly stated, it is of considerable significance to municipalities as being first, a source of municipal power and second, as a limitation upon legislative control. Its effect as a source of such municipal power varies greatly in those states having adopted home rule. An excellent statement as to the purpose of such a constitutional amendment was made by the California Supreme Court in Fragley v. Phelan, 126 Cal. 383, 387, 58 P. 923, 925 (1899), as follows :

“ * * * . It was to prevent existing provisions of charters from being frittered away by general laws, which would repeal those provisions by implication. It was to enable municipalities to conduct their own business and control their own affairs, to the fullest possible extent, in their own way. It was enacted upon the principle that the municipality itself knew better what it wanted and needed than did the state at large, and to give that municipality the exclusive privilege and right to enact direct legislation which would carry out and satisfy its wants and needs. * * * ”

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Bluebook (online)
525 P.2d 876, 86 N.M. 516, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/apodaca-v-wilson-nm-1974.