Dean Milk Co. v. City of Waukegan

87 N.E.2d 751, 403 Ill. 597, 1949 Ill. LEXIS 352
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 22, 1949
DocketNo. 30981. Judgment affirmed.
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 87 N.E.2d 751 (Dean Milk Co. v. City of Waukegan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dean Milk Co. v. City of Waukegan, 87 N.E.2d 751, 403 Ill. 597, 1949 Ill. LEXIS 352 (Ill. 1949).

Opinion

Mr. Chief Justice Thompson

delivered the opinion of the court:

The Dean Milk Company, appellee, filed a complaint in the circuit court of Lake County against appellants, the city of Waukegan, Frank G. Wallin, mayor, William Mc-Danald, chief of police, and Edward R. Holmberg, city clerk, for a declaratory judgment as to the validity of section 577 of milk ordinance No. 237 of said city. This section required that milk or milk products be produced and pasteurized in Lake County before they could be sold in the city of Waukegan. The complaint also prayed for an injunction against the city and its agents, enjoining the enforcement of any ordinance of the city of Waukegan on account of the sale, offer for sale, or completed sale of any grade “A” milk or milk products by the Dean Milk Company, its agents or distributors. Answer was filed to the complaint and reply made thereto. The cause was heard before the court and a declaratory judgment was entered declaring section 577 of “Milk Ordinance No. 237, City of Waukegan, Illinois, passed April 27, 1942,” null and void, and of no force and effect. The trial court decided the issues in favor of plaintiff and against defendants and has certified that public interest requires a direct appeal to this court. Later a petition praying for a temporary injunction against the city and its agents enjoining the enforcement of the ordinance on account of the sale, offer for sale or completed sale of any grade “A” milk or milk products by the plaintiff in the city was denied.

The record discloses that the city of Waukegan has a comprehensive milk ordinance No. 237, relating to the production, pasteurization, handling, bottling and delivery of milk for human consumption within said city. Section 577 of this ordinance reads as follows: “Milk and Milk Products from Points beyond the Limits of Inspection of the City of Waukegan. No milk or milk prod-nets shall be sold in the City of Waukegan unless the same is produced and pasteurized in Lake County, Illinois, except and unless in case of emergency and then by approval of the health officer.”

In the declaratory judgment as entered the court held that an actual controversy, definite and certain, exists between the parties to this cause; that a major portion of said controversy can be terminated by the entry of a declaratory judgment; that section 577 of “Milk Ordinance No. 237, of the City of Waukegan, Illinois, passed April 27, 1942,” is invalid as attempting or purporting to regulate milk producers, dairy farms and milk plants, as defined in said ordinance, located more than one-half mile beyond the corporate limits of said city. The court decreed specifically that section 577 of “Milk Ordinance No. 237 of the City of Waukegan,” be declared null and void and of no force and effect. The court further retained jurisdiction of the cause for the purpose of entering any and all orders necessary to enforce the declaratory judgment and for the purpose of granting other and further relief prayed for in plaintiff’s complaint. This declaratory judgment presents solely the question of the validity of section 577 of said ordinance.

It is disclosed by the record that the parties stipulated that plaintiff is a corporation, incorporated in the State of Illinois, and is possessor of a certificate of approval issued January 26, 1948, signed by the Director of Public Health of the State of Illinois, approving the pasteurization plant of the Dean Milk Company, and that the Dean Milk Company is also possessor of a certificate of approval to operate a dairy plant issued by the Department of Agriculture, Division of Foods and Dairies.

It does not seem to be contended that the milk processed by the Dean Milk Company fails to comply with the standards of purity and wholesomeness set up in the Waukegan ordinance, or that the pasteurization process, butterfat content and average bacterial plate count of milk do not conform with the requirements of defendant municipality. The same seems to be true with respect to the production, inspection and handling of milk on the farms which supply the milk plants of the Dean Milk Company.

The crucial question presented itself in the month of January, 1948, when an agent of the Dean Milk Company applied to the milk inspector of the city for a permit to sell milk in Waukegan, which permit was refused because of section 577 of the milk ordinance of the city. In February of the same year the Dean Milk Company, through its agent, applied for a license for one milk truck to deliver milk in the city of Waukegan, which was issued and the license fee paid. On the same day the deputy city collector of Waukegan sent a letter to the Dean Milk Company, Chemung, Illinois, revoking said license for the reason that the milk of the Dean Milk Company did not comply with section 577 of the milk ordinance of said city. The milk to be supplied the city of Waukegan would come from either the Huntley plant or Chemung plant, each approximately fifty miles from Waukegan by the nearest traveled route.

The appellants contend the object and purpose of the milk ordinance is to make sure the milk offered for sale or distribution within the city is of such quality as not to be detrimental to the public health; that the city has statutory power to regulate the sale or distribution of milk within the city; and, also, that this power of regulation includes the right to regulate and inspect the farmer and dairy farms producing milk for sale to a milk plant and the milk plant itself which furnishes or brings milk into the city for sale or distribution, although they are located outside of the city limits; and that the provision requiring milk and milk products to be produced and pasteurized in Lake County, before same can be sold in the city, is a reasonable provision designed to advance the plain object and purpose of the ordinance, namely, that milk sold or distributed in the city of Waukegan would be of such quality as not to be detrimental to the public health.

Appellee concedes the authority of the city of Waukegan to regulate the sale of milk and milk products within the corporate limits, but contends that this authority does not extend to the regulation of farms and milk plants located more than one-half mile beyond the territorial limits of the city, nor to prohibition of the sale of milk and milk products within the city unless produced and pasteurized within a specified locality. It is specifically urged that the General Assembly has.not conferred such powers, upon municipalities.

The controlling question is whether it is within the power of the city of Waukegan to prohibit the sale within its limits of milk produced and pasteurized outside of Lake County.

Appellants first contend that the city is empowered to regulate the sale or distribution of milk within its limits. This we think to be the rule and have so held in Higgins v. City of Galesburg, 401 Ill. 87; Dean Milk Co. v. City of Chicago, 385 Ill. 565; and Koy v. City of Chicago, 263 Ill. 122. Appellee concedes the rule, which does not necessitate further discussion.

Appellants next contend the power of the city to regulate the sale or distribution of milk within its limits includes the power to regulate sources outside the city. It will be observed from the pleadings that this question was not controverted in the court below.

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87 N.E.2d 751, 403 Ill. 597, 1949 Ill. LEXIS 352, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dean-milk-co-v-city-of-waukegan-ill-1949.