City of Alamogordo v. McGee

327 P.2d 321, 64 N.M. 253
CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
DecidedJune 24, 1958
Docket6342
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 327 P.2d 321 (City of Alamogordo v. McGee) 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
City of Alamogordo v. McGee, 327 P.2d 321, 64 N.M. 253 (N.M. 1958).

Opinion

SADLER, Justice.

The defendant, as an appellant before this court, complains of a judgment against him in the district court of Otero County restraining him from operating and maintaining a trailer camp or trailer park on a specified lot in a certain block, within Zoning District “A” of the City of Alamogordo, Otero County, New Mexico; and, especially, from keeping or maintaining house trailers on said premises or elsewhere in Alamogordo, without securing a permit so to do from the City Building Inspector.

The trial was before the court at the conclusion of which certain findings and conelusions were announced and embraced within a decision of the court, filed with the clerk. At the outset of his findings, the trial judge related authority for the governing ordinances to the enabling statute under which they were enacted, namely, L.1927, c. 27 (1953 Comp. §§ 14-28-9 to 14-28-18). He recited that pursuant to such statute the municipality had enacted Zoning Ordinance No. 149 on April 3, 1950, followed by enactment by the City of Alamogordo, when its status to that of city had been accomplished, of Ordinance No. 176 on April 14, 1953, the latter being, as the judge viewed it, in effect, only a reenactment of Ordinance No. 149. Furthermore, he saw in the enactment of said ordinances a substantial compliance with all statutory requirements.

Each of the ordinances provided for a District “A”, restricted to single family dwellings. The defendant, W. C. McGee, was found to be the owner of Lot 2, Block 98, in the City of Alamogordo, located within and a part of District “A”, mentioned above, and within the corporate limits of said City. Likewise, he was found to be keeping and maintaining house trailers on said premises, which were not, as the judge saw them, “single family dwellings”, within the purview of Ordinance No. 149 and Ordinance No. 176. Indeed, the defendant was said to be using said premises for the operation and maintenance of a trailer camp or park, a use not permitted in Zoning District “A” under the restrictive provisions of said ordinances.

The Ordinances Nos. 149 and 176 provide that no trailer shall be used for occupancy anywhere within the corporate limits of the City (or Town) of Alamogordo without a permit from the Building Inspector, notwithstanding which the trailers kept and maintained on Lot 2, Block 98, have been used for occupancy without any such permit. The above described premises were neither used for, nor occupied by, house trailers at the time of the enactment of Ordinance No. 149 or Ordinance No. 176.

The trial judge further found that nowhere within the title or body of Zoning Ordinance No. 176 is it stated that Ordinance No. 176 is a supplement or amendment to Ordinance No. 149.

The foregoing facts were found by the trial court and are embraced in the decision filed in the case and from them certain conclusions of law were deduced. For instance, the court concluded that the enactment of Ordinance No. 149 and as well the enactment of Ordinance No. 176, each carried with it a presumption of validity which presumption had not been overcome as to either ordinance by any evidence produced by the defendant.

The court further concluded that the two Ordinances, Nos. 149 and 176 might be considered together as one ordinance and that the substantial compliance shown in the enactment of each ordinance sufficed to meet statutory requirements. But, whether considered together, or separately, Ordinance No. 149 and Ordinance No. 176, constitute a valid zoning ordinance of the City of Alamogordo, as held by the court.

And, finally, the court concluded that the defendant, in keeping and maintaining, or permitting, house trailers on said lot, was violating the zoning ordinances of the City and that he should be enjoined “from keeping, maintaining, operating or using the said premises for the conduct or operation of a trailer camp or trailer park.” Judgment was entered in conformity with the findings and conclusions so made, from which this appeal is prosecuted.

The defendant, appellant, has argued his appeal under two points. The first point is to the effect that a zoning ordinance must strictly follow the enabling statute to be valid. The second point challenges action of the trial court in considering together Ordinance No. 149 and Ordinance No. 176.

The initial point is further refined, or applied, to the factual situation here present by the declaration that the court erred in finding that compliance had been accomplished since exact and full compliance is required, and here only “substantial” compliance was found.

As already indicated the two ordinances in question, Ordinance No. 149 and Ordinance No. 176, were enacted pursuant to an enabling statute known as L.1927, c. 27 (1953 Comp., §§ 14-28-9 to 14-28-18). The earlier ordinance was enacted on April 3, 1950, known as Ordinance No. 149 and the later one, Ordinance No. 176, which was practically a duplication of the earlier one, was enacted on April 14, 1953. The later one was, in effect, a complete enactment of the earlier one. Each was enacted prior to the violations charged against defendant took place, so that if either be valid, the trial court was correct in enjoining the defendant. Not only did each ordinance so proclaim, but the very nature of the ordinance itself rendered obvious the fact that it was enacted as a health and safety measure in an exercise of the police power of the city. Indeed, the defendant in no way challenges that each ordinance represents a valid exercise of the police power.

But say counsel for defendant, Ordinance No. 149 is invalid because it was never published and Ordinance No. 176 is bad because the public hearing provided by the enabling act, 1953 Compilation, § 14-28-12, following notice, was neither had nor given. The position of defendant is fairly stated by his counsel in the brief filed by them, as follows:

“ * * * In this case Ordinance No. 149 was given adequate pre-passage treatment. Meetings were held, notice was given, property owners were apprised of their rights. Ordinance No. 149 was invalid, however, for proper publication was omitted.
“Ordinance No. 176, on the other hand, was passed without any such notice, without meetings, without any property owner having a chance to protest or make himself heard. This ordinance was published. It is clear that both were inherently defective in meeting with the requirements of the enabling act. In the same way that failure to publish invalidated No. 149, so failure of notice and hearing should invalidate No. 176.”

Counsel for defendant, appellant, as will be seen from his initial attack on the two ordinances challenged, insists nothing short of strict compliance will suffice. Indeed, he virtually admits that substantial compliance is shown but, say his counsel, that is not enough. Counsel for the City answer that substantial compliance is all that is required. They cite Hughes v. City of Carlsbad, 53 N.M. 150, 203 P.2d 995, 1000, in support of their claim that substantial compliance suffices.

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Bluebook (online)
327 P.2d 321, 64 N.M. 253, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-alamogordo-v-mcgee-nm-1958.