Boyle v. New Orleans Public Service, Inc.

163 So. 2d 145, 1964 La. App. LEXIS 1554
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 6, 1964
DocketNo. 1463
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 163 So. 2d 145 (Boyle v. New Orleans Public Service, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Boyle v. New Orleans Public Service, Inc., 163 So. 2d 145, 1964 La. App. LEXIS 1554 (La. Ct. App. 1964).

Opinion

HALL, Judge.

Nine plaintiffs whose property fronts on Canal Street in the City of New Orleans [147]*147instituted this suit against the City of New Orleans and New Orleans Public Service, Inc. praying: (1) that Ordinance No. 2671 Mayor Council Series, which inter alia, granted New Orleans Public Service, Inc. an indeterminate permit to operate busses on Canal Street, be declared null and void; and (2) that New Orleans Public Service Inc. be temporarily and permanently enjoined “from any activities in furtherance of any plan sought to be authorized by said ordinance.”

The City of New Orleans (“City”) and New Orleans Public Service Inc. (“Public Service”) each filed an exception of no right or cause of action and answers to the petition.

The exceptions were referred to the merits, and the matter came on for trial on plaintiffs’ rule for a preliminary injunction. After hearing evidence on the rule the Trial Court rendered judgment overruling the exceptions, denying the preliminary injunction, and recalling and dismissing the rule nisi. Plaintiffs appealed.

Plaintiffs contend:

1. That Ordinance No. 2671 M.C.S. is “illegal” because the Council President did not comply with the City Charter in transmitting the ordinance “promptly” to the Mayor for his approval or disapproval.

2. That the ordinance is ultra vires in that it went beyond the power of the Council as specifically granted to it by Sec. 4-1602(1) of the City Charter; and

3. That the action of the Council was arbitrary and capricious because of the danger to health of members of the community caused by air pollution.

-1-

The pertinent provisions of the City Charter (Sections 3-113(1) and 3-113(2) read as follows:

“Submission of Ordinances to the Mayor.
“(1) Every ordinance adopted by the Council shall be signed by the presiding officer and presented promptly by the Clerk to the Mayor.
“(2) The Mayor within ten calendar days of receipt of an ordinance shall return it to the Clerk with or without his approval, or with his disapproval. If the ordinance has been approved it shall become law upon its return to the Clerk; if the ordinance is neither approved or disapproved it shall become law at twelve o’clock noon on the tenth calendar day after its adoption; if the ordinance is disapproved the Mayor shall submit to the Council through the Clerk a written statement of his reasons for his veto. The Clerk shall record upon the ordinance the date of its delivery to and receipt from the Mayor.”

Ordinance No. 2671 M.C.S. was adopted by unanimous vote of the City Council on Thursday, August IS, 1963. On that day Mayor Shiro was out of the city and Councilman-at-Large Di Rosa was Acting May- or, having been appointed by Mayor Schiro to serve in his absence. (See Section 4-204 (2) of the City Charter). Councilman-at-Large Fitzmorris was President of the Council, and presided at the Council Meeting on that day.

Several other ordinances adopted by the Council on August 15, 1963 were signed by Councilman Fitzmorris and transmitted to the Acting Mayor on that same day. However, Councilman Fitzmorris delayed signing Ordinance No. 2671 M.C.S. until Monday, August 19, 1963. He testified frankly that his reason for holding the ordinance from Thursday to Monday was that he knew Councilman Di Rosa was against the ordinance and would veto it as Acting Mayor if it were transmitted to him. On the other hand, he testified, Mayor Schiro had publicly expressed his approval of the plan and had advised the Council that he had studied it and thought it was in the best interest of the City.

[148]*148Mayor Schiro returned to the city on Monday, August 19, 1963 and on that day Councilman Fitzmorris signed the ordinance as presiding officer of the Council and transmitted it to Mayor Schiro.

Mayor Schiro approved the ordinance on Friday, August 23, 1963 and returned it to the Council in due course.

Plaintiffs contend that the Ordinance is null and void because it was not “presented promptly” to the Mayor as required by Section 3-113(1) of the Charter.

Defendants point out that the charter does not specify the time within which the president of the Council shall sign an ordinance and that after it was signed the ordinance in question here was immediately presented to the Mayor by the Clerk.

Defendants contend moreover, that the word “promptly” has a relative meaning (citing State v. Southern Cotton Oil Co., 164 La. 225, 113 So. 825, 826; Jefferson Cotton Oil Co. v. Archibald Gin Co., 3 La. App. 391, 393; 73 C.J.S. pp. 130-131) and that the interval of four days (two of which were a Saturday and a Sunday) between Council adoption and presentment to the Mayor was prompt, since it in no way affected the charter requirements admittedly designed only to allow the Mayor time for consideration. They further contend that if the ordinance could be considered not to have been presented promptly to the Mayor, such fact would not invalidate the ordinance for the reason that the requirement for prompt presentation has been uniformly held to be directory and not mandatory, unless the statute specifically imposes such fatal consequences (citing 82 C.J.S. verbo Statutes § 48, page 77; State ex rel. The Attorney General v. Mead, 71 Mo. 266; State ex rel. Smith v. Ryan, 123 Kan. 767, 256 P. 811, 812).

On the other hand, plaintiffs argue that since Section 3-113(2) provides that upon the Mayor’s failure to return an ordinance to the Council within ten days after its receipt it becomes law on the tenth day after its adoption, the ordinance necessarily must be presented to the Mayor on the day of its adoption in order to give full effect to the charter provisions.

We do not find it necessary under the facts and circumstances presented by this case to discuss the various contentions of counsel. The ordinance was regularly adopted, transmitted to and approved by the Mayor within the ten days charter requirement, rendering moot the whole issue raised by plaintiffs.

“Some constitutional provisions as to the signing of a bill by the presiding officer of each house require such signing immediately after their titles have been publicly read, or within a specified time after passage. It has been held that a failure on the part of the presiding officer to sign the bill within a stipulated time after its passage does not invalidate an act thereafter duly authenticated and approved by the Governor." 50 Am.Jur. Verbo “Statutes” Sec. 93, page 101.

Neither Mayor Schiro nor Councilman Di Rosa is here complaining that insufficient time was given the Mayor for consideration of the ordinance and we know of no legal right of plaintiffs which has been violated. We hold, as did the Trial Court, that Ordinance No. 2671 M. C.S. was validly adopted.

-2-

Ordinance 2671 authorized and directed the conversion of the street car transit system on Canal Street to a diesel bus system, and in connection therewith authorized the widening of the Canal Street roadways and other related improvements in order to facilitate automobile and bus traffic. It further provided that all of the work was to be done by New Orleans Public Service, Inc. at its own expense.

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Bluebook (online)
163 So. 2d 145, 1964 La. App. LEXIS 1554, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/boyle-v-new-orleans-public-service-inc-lactapp-1964.