Drockton v. Bd. of Election's of Cuyahoga County

240 N.E.2d 896, 16 Ohio Misc. 211, 45 Ohio Op. 2d 171, 1968 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 264
CourtCuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
DecidedOctober 9, 1968
DocketNo. 866617
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 240 N.E.2d 896 (Drockton v. Bd. of Election's of Cuyahoga County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Drockton v. Bd. of Election's of Cuyahoga County, 240 N.E.2d 896, 16 Ohio Misc. 211, 45 Ohio Op. 2d 171, 1968 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 264 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1968).

Opinion

Patton, J.

This cause came on for hearing on the petition of plaintiffs and the answer of defendants, all parties having been duly served with process and defendants having appeared through their counsel on September 24, 1968.

The oral motion of defendant Ted W. Brown to dismiss as to him was granted on the day of the hearing.

There is also filed in this case a brief amicus curiae on behalf of Donald A. Kurelc and Richard J. LoVano, electors of the city of Parma, Ohio.

Plaintiffs seek to restrain the board of elections from certifying, printing and placing on the ballots certain proposed ordinances for the city of Parma.

The facts, as developed at the hearing, are as follows:

Parma, Ohio, is a noncharter city. On Saturday, July 20,1968, at 9 a. m., two proposed ordinances were delivered to Joseph S. Lime, auditor of the city of Parma, at his residence. The purpose of the delivery was to commence the procedure for proposing said ordinances by means of initiative, pursuant to Section 731.32, Revised Code. The auditor testified that the Parma city hall is not open on either Saturday or Sunday, and that he kept the proposed ordi[214]*214nances at his home until Monday, July 22, 1968. It was on this day the ordinances were taken to the city hall by the auditor. He further testified the only office maintained by the auditor was at the city hall.

The two ordinances delivered to the auditor were titled as follows:

1.) An Ordinance Providing for the Allocation of Funds Collected by the Levy of the Parma Municipal Income Tax. (Hereinafter referred to as the income tax ordinance.)

2.) An Ordinance Amending the Planning and Zoning Code of the City of Parma as to Area Districts, minimum Lot Area per Dwelling Unit for Residentail Types, Minimum Lot Size and Percentage of Open Space. (Hereinafter referred to as the zoning ordinance.)

On Saturday, July 27,1968, at 3:30 p. m., petitions covering both of aforesaid ordinances were delivered to Mr. Lime. Once again the delivery took place at the residence of the auditor, the city hall being closed. The auditor immediately removed the petitions to the city hall, where he unlocked the city hall doors, placed the petitions in a locked safe, and left. The petitions were not removed from the safe until noon Monday, July 29, 1968, at which time the petitions were taken to the board of elections to check the signatures against the registrations on file at the board. The petitions were not returned to the Parma city hall until after 4.30 p. m. and locked in the safe, the city hall having been closed.

On Tuesday, July 30,1968, at 9 a. m., the petitions were again removed from the safe and immediately taken to the board of elections for the same purpose as was done on Monday. Again the petitions were not returned to the city hall until after 4:30 p. m. The petitions were not at the auditor’s office at the Parma city hall from noon until after 4:30 p. m. Monday and from 9 a. m. until 4:30 p. m. on Tuesday.

On August 7,1968, the text of each proposed ordinance was certified to the board of elections! with a letter from the auditor covering each ordinance. On August 13, 1968, [215]*215pursuant to a request of the board of elections, the petitions covering the ordinances were delivered to the board for inspection.

The auditor testified there was no public notice or public hearing regarding the two ordinances at any time.

In support of their request that the defendants be restrained from placing the ordinances on the ballot, plaintiffs make the following contentions:

1. That the failure to give public notice or have a public hearing on the proposed ordinances violated the requirements of Section 713.12, Revised Code, and precludes the possibility of putting the proposed ordinances on the ballot;

2. That a full and correct copy of the text of the zoning ordinance was not made a part of every part petition as required by Section 731.31, Revised Code;

3. That certain part petitions on both ordinances were defective in that the handwritten title of the ordinance was different from the printed title set forth on the opposite side of the part petition;

4. That neither the ordinances nor the petitions were lawfully filed with the auditor, since they were delivered to him on a day and at a time when city hall was closed at a place other than his office;

5. That the auditor did not certify the ordinances to the board of elections after ten days from the date filed, in violation of Section 731.28, Revised Code;

6. That the auditor failed to keep the part petitions open for public inspection for ten days after the date filed, in violation of Section 731.34, Revised Code;

7. That some part petitions on each ordinance were circulated before the ordinances were filed with the auditor, in violation of Section 731.32, Revised Code;

8. That the board of elections has no authority to place the ordinances on the ballot at the next general election, November 5,1968, for the reason that such date is not “subsequent to ninety days after the certifying of such initiative petition(s) to the board of elections,” as is required by Section 731.28, Revised Code.

[216]*2169. That the board of elections wrongfully refused to check the validity of the filing of the ordinances and petitions with the auditor, in violation of Sections 3519.15, 3501.38 and 3501.11 (J) and (K), Revised Code.

The court first discusses the necessity for public notice and hearing. Section 713.12, Revised Code, states in part as follows:

“Before any ordinance * * may be passed the legislative authority of the municipal corporation shall hold a public hearing thereon.”

The substance of this statute is to require a public hearing with 30 days notice on ordinances pursuant to Sections 713.07 and 713.11, Revised Code, which sections relate to certification of zoning plans from a planning commission to the legislative authority and the creation of a board of zoning appeals.

Section 713.12, Revised Code, is not relevant to the issues raised in the instant proceeding. The intent of this section is to have a full public airing of opinion when an ordinance is to come before a city council. An initiative does not require such public hearing since the concept of an initiative places the power in the people by means of ballot, and the “public hearing” is achieved during the campaign period.

Plaintiffs next allege a violation of Section 731.31, Revised Code. The text of the zoning ordinance contains a list of zoning areas with lot areas and sizes for such classification. The first column in the list is headed:

“Area Designation on Zone Map”
Beneath this heading are the classifications “ A A,” “A,” “B,” and “C & D.” There is no further reference to any zone map either in the text of the ordinance or by attached maps. Plaintiffs contend that the failure to attach maps or make other reference to the “zone map” violates Section 731.31, Revised Code, which states in part:
“Any initiative or referendum may be presented in separate parts, but each part of any initiative petition shall contain a full and correct copy of the title and text of the proposed ordinance * * *”

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Bluebook (online)
240 N.E.2d 896, 16 Ohio Misc. 211, 45 Ohio Op. 2d 171, 1968 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 264, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/drockton-v-bd-of-elections-of-cuyahoga-county-ohctcomplcuyaho-1968.