City of Baton Rouge v. FIRE & POLICE CIV. SERV. BD.

597 So. 2d 573, 1992 WL 46334
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 6, 1992
Docket91 CA 1625, 91 CA 1696
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 597 So. 2d 573 (City of Baton Rouge v. FIRE & POLICE CIV. SERV. BD.) 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
City of Baton Rouge v. FIRE & POLICE CIV. SERV. BD., 597 So. 2d 573, 1992 WL 46334 (La. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

597 So.2d 573 (1992)

The CITY OF BATON ROUGE, the Parish of East Baton Rouge, and the East Baton Rouge Parish Communications District
v.
The MUNICIPAL FIRE AND POLICE CIVIL SERVICE BOARD OF BATON ROUGE, Baton Rouge Union of Police, Local 237, I.U.E.A. AFL-CIO and Baton Rouge Firefighters Local 557, International Association of Firefighters, AFL-CIO.
The CITY OF BATON ROUGE, the Parish of East Baton Rouge, and the East Baton Rouge Parish Communications District
v.
The MUNICIPAL FIRE AND POLICE CIVIL SERVICE BOARD OF BATON ROUGE.

Nos. 91 CA 1625, 91 CA 1696.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

March 6, 1992.
Writ Denied May 15, 1992.

Victor Sachse, III, and Gordon Pugh, Baton Rouge, for plaintiff-appellant City of Baton Rouge, Parish of East Baton Rouge, EBR Parish Communications District, et al.

James Zito, Baton Rouge, for defendant-appellee Municipal Fire & Police Civ. Service Bd. of B.R.

Floyd Falcon, Jr., Baton Rouge, for defendant-appellee B.R. Union of Police, Local 237, IUEA, AFL-CIO, B.R. Firefighters Local 557, Intern. Ass'n of Fire-Fighters, AFL-CIO, et al. Kay Calhoun, Brian Arceneaux and Herman Garner.

Before WATKINS, CARTER and FOIL, JJ.

CARTER, Judge.

These consolidated actions arise out of the creation of a communications district in the Parish of East Baton Rouge.

*574 BACKGROUND

By Acts 1983, No. 550, § 1, the legislature enacted LSA-R.S. 33:9101 et seq., which permitted the creation of communications districts by parish governing authorities. LSA-R.S. 33:9101 A provides as follows:

The governing authority of any parish may by ordinance create communications districts composed of any part of all of the territory lying wholly within the parish. Such districts shall be political and legal subdivisions of the state, with power to sue and be sued in their corporate names and to incur debt and issue bonds.

The expressed purpose of allowing the creation of these communications districts is "to establish the number 911 as the primary emergency telephone number ... and to provide for the identification of all streets, roads, highways, and dwelling places in such districts." LSA-R.S. 33:9102.[1] Upon the creation of a communications district, the parish governing authority is permitted to appoint a board of commissioners to govern the affairs of the communications district. LSA-R.S. 33:9103 A. The board of commissioners of the district has authority to employ such employees, experts, and consultants necessary to discharge its responsibilities, as well as the authority to select a dispatch method. LSA-R.S. 33:9103 D and 9105. LSA-R.S. 33:9105 sets forth the following methods to respond to emergency calls:

(1) `Direct dispatch method', that is a telephone service to a centralized dispatch center providing for the dispatch of an appropriate emergency service unit upon receipt of a telephone request for such services and a decision as to the proper action to be taken.
(2) `Relay method', that is a telephone service whereby pertinent information is noted by the recipient of a telephone request for emergency services, and is relayed to appropriate public safety agencies or other providers of emergency services for dispatch of an emergency service unit.
(3) `Transfer method', that is a telephone service that receives telephone requests for emergency services and directly transfers such requests to an appropriate public safety agency or other provider of emergency services.
(4) `Referral method', that is a telephone service that, upon the receipt of a telephone request for emergency services, provides the requesting party with the telephone number of the appropriate public safety agency or other provider of emergency services.

LSA-R.S. 33:9106 sets forth the methods by which the communications districts may be funded.

Pursuant to this legislative authority, on May 14, 1986, the Metropolitan Council of the Parish of East Baton Rouge and City of Baton Rouge (City-Parish) created a communications district entitled "East Baton Rouge Parish Communications District" (District) and established a board of commissioners to govern the District. Ordinance *575 No. 8148.[2] Thereafter, on August 27, 1986, the City-Parish adopted a resolution ratifying, approving, and confirming the calling of a special election with regard to the levy of a telephone surcharge to maintain an Emergency 911 telephone system. Resolution No. 25466. Ordinance No. 8274, which was adopted by the City-Parish on November 12, 1986, declared that the special election on Resolution No. 25466 was carried by a majority of the qualified electors. Thereafter, the board of commissioners of the District selected the direct dispatch method to respond to emergency calls.

In response to these actions by the City-Parish and the District, the Municipal Fire & Police Civil Service Board (Board) passed several resolutions, which are at the center of the controversy presented in these consolidated actions. On May 22, 1990, the Board passed a resolution placing the employees of the District within the municipal fire and police civil service system. On November 13, 1990, the Board held a meeting to discuss, among other things, the telecommunications division and the fact that the Fire and Police Communications Division was not in the 1991 budget. At the meeting, the Board adopted several motions. In one such motion, the Board advised the Mayor, Council, and the Fire and Police Chiefs of the City of Baton Rouge that LSA-Const. art. 10, § 15 expressly excludes from a City-Parish Civil Service System regularly paid municipal fire and police department officers. The Board also advised that LSA-Const. art. 10, § 19 prohibits the inclusion of firefighters and police officers in the classified service of a city civil service system. In addition, the Board advised that the classified service under the jurisdiction of the Board includes fire and police operation and maintenance of radio, fire and police alarm, or signal systems, citing LSA-R.S. 33:2481 A. The motion further stated that "only classified employees of the Fire and Police Communications division shall dispatch vehicles of their respective departments." On January 15, 1991, the Board passed another resolution, directing the fire chief to fill the position of Chief of Fire Communications left vacant by the departure of Brice Achord and to fill all positions left vacant thereafter.

On June 18, 1990, the City-Parish and the District filed an appeal and a petition to annul the resolution and for injunctive and declaratory relief under docket number 358,429. The Board was made a defendant in this proceeding. In this appeal and petition, the City-Parish and the District alleged that the Board's May 22, 1990 attempt to place the employees of the District within the municipal fire and police civil service system was a usurpation of the District's statutorily granted authority. The City-Parish and the District requested that the trial court annul the Board's action, declare that the District and its employees are not represented by the Board, and enjoin the Board from enforcing its May 22, 1990 resolution.

After a hearing, the trial court, for oral reasons assigned, rendered judgment on July 16, 1990. The Board's action, placing the District's employees under the municipal fire and police civil service system, was vacated by the trial court. The trial court ordered that District employees are not under the jurisdiction of the Board, with one exception.

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Bluebook (online)
597 So. 2d 573, 1992 WL 46334, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-baton-rouge-v-fire-police-civ-serv-bd-lactapp-1992.