Botsford v. City of Norman

226 F. Supp. 258, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8374
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 13, 1964
DocketNo. 9595
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 226 F. Supp. 258 (Botsford v. City of Norman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Botsford v. City of Norman, 226 F. Supp. 258, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8374 (W.D. Okla. 1964).

Opinion

BOHANON, District Judge.

This diversity action was instituted by Kenneth Berry, Alice H. Botsford and J. R. Goodin, plaintiffs, against the City of Norman, a Municipal Corporation, and numerous other defendants, seeking a declaratory judgment under 28 U.S.C.A. § 2201. After the filing of the Complaint, all of the defendants except the City of Norman were dismissed from the action. The plaintiff Kenneth Berry sold and conveyed his interest in the property involved, and is no longer a party to the action. At the time of trial, the case stood as one between Botsford and Goodin, as plaintiffs, and the City of Norman, as defendant. It is admitted that the plaintiffs are not citizens of the State of Oklahoma, but of other states. The Complaint alleges that the amount in controversy exceeds the sum of $10,000, exclusive of interest and costs. Under these facts and the allegations of the Complaint, the Court has jurisdiction of the parties and the matters in controversy.

The record discloses, or the Court otherwise takes judicial knowledge, of the following facts:

In the City of Norman (having a population of 33,412 exclusive of student enrollment) is located the University of Oklahoma, with a student enrollment of approximately 12,000 resident students, and it is anticipated that in the foreseeable future the enrollment will be 20,000 to 25,000 resident students, and it is of great importance to the welfare of the City of Norman and the State of Oklahoma that these resident students, while in school, be provided the highest and best atmosphere of a well-regulated city. The record shows that the City of Norman has committed itself to a large expenditure of money to provide an adequate water supply for the City and the University of Oklahoma. This water supply is located on the eastern edge of the newly annexed property. All of the annexed property, save and except the east fringe edges, is within the Little River Reservoir watershed. A substantial portion of the Little River Reservoir water is committed to the domestic use of Midwest City, Oklahoma, a few miles distant from Norman, with a population of 36,058, and a substantial portion of the water is committed to the domestic use of Del City, Oklahoma, with a population of 12,934. For the domestic use of the three cities combined, the preservation of the water is of paramount importance for the health, welfare and anticipated future growth of the three communities.

[260]*260The Court finds that the City of Norman has, since October 18, 1961, the date of annexation, furnished, and is continuing to furnish, police protection, fire protection, street and road assistance, hospital privileges, park privileges, and many other services, and on completion of the Little River Reservoir will furnish many recreational facilities to all the people of the City of Norman, including the annexed area.

The plaintiffs complain that they have been damaged by the annexation program. The evidence shows that the plaintiffs’ lands have been enhanced in value by reason of the many millions of dollars spent by the City of Norman, Midwest City, Del City, and the United States Government in the construction and further maintenance of the Little River Reservoir. The unlimited water supply, the recreational facilities, the opportunity for industrial development and benefits to the personnel of the University of Oklahoma all inure to the benefit of all the land owners within the annexed area. Based upon the findings made by the Norman City Commissioners that the annexed area was necessary for the health and welfare of the citizenry of the City of Norman, the Court finds that the Norman City Commissioners were warranted in the annexation of the lands in question for the proper use and protection and benefit of the City of Norman and that such actions of annexation were not an abuse of discretion.

The Ordinances of the City of Norman under attack here were passed on October 18,1961. The regular session of the 29th Legislature of the State of Oklahoma convened January 8, 1963, and adjourned June 14,1963. This session of the Legislature had before it several Senate and House Bills relating to the annexation or deannexation of territory by cities or towns within the State, and the Court takes judicial knowledge of the action taken by the Legislature on these proposed laws. Without going into detail, these Bills will be briefly discussed.

Senate Bill 238, which was introduced in the 29th Session of the Legislature, in substance provided that no territory may be annexed unless notice shall first be given to the property owners not less than ten nor more than thirty days prior to the date the proposal is to be acted upon, and provides the method of serving and giving notice. Senate Bill 239 provided for an appeal to the State District Court within thirty days following the adoption of an ordinance annexing property, and set forth certain powers of the District Court with reference to such proceedings. Senate Bill 263 and House Bill 599 were introduced at this same session of the Legislature. These Bills are identical and provided for an amendment to Title 11 Okl.St.Ann. § 481, giving any owner of property in the territory annexed claiming to be aggrieved right to appeal to the State District Court, and then went on to provide procedure in the District Court after such appeal. Senate Bill 264 and House Bill 598, being identical, were introduced in the respective Houses of the Legislature of the 29th Session; these Bills sought to amend Section 481, supra, by providing that land owners in the area affected may file suit in the District or Superior Court for deannexation of all or a part of the territory theretofore annexed. Sections 2 and 3 of the last mentioned Bills provide:

“SECTION 2. If it is alleged in the petition, and the court shall find that adequate municipal services have not been extended to the territory in question and will not be extended within a reasonable time, and that injustice will result to the plaintiffs by reason of the failure of the municipality to extend municipal services to the area involved in said proceedings, the petition shall be granted.
“SECTION 3. ‘Adequate municipal services’ shall include, but not be restricted to, law enforcement, street construction and maintenance, and shall further mean fire protection and municipal services beneficial to the property to be served and equal in kind and quality to those fur[261]*261nished by the municipality to other areas within the corporate limits, comparable in land use and population density to the areas concerned.”

It is quite apparent that the Oklahoma Legislature, more than a year subsequent to the enactment of the Ordinances here involved, was aware of the problems of the cities and towns of the State relating to the annexation and deannexation of territory adjacent to such city or town. Each of the above-mentioned Bills failed of passage. Furthermore, the Legislature was undoubtedly aware of the decision of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma in Sharp v. Oklahoma City, infra. With all these facts before the Legislature, it declined to amend Section 481, supra, except as hereinafter stated.

Senate Bill 2 of the 29th Legislature of Oklahoma amended Section 481, supra, by adding thereto, after the second proviso, the following:

“and provided, further, that tracts of land in excess of forty acres shall not be subject to city taxes when located within a city or town and when used for industrial or commercial purposes.

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226 F. Supp. 258, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8374, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/botsford-v-city-of-norman-okwd-1964.