Empire State Chapter of the Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc. v. Rome Housing Authority

72 Misc. 2d 910, 339 N.Y.S.2d 847, 1972 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1375
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 13, 1972
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 72 Misc. 2d 910 (Empire State Chapter of the Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc. v. Rome Housing Authority) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Empire State Chapter of the Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc. v. Rome Housing Authority, 72 Misc. 2d 910, 339 N.Y.S.2d 847, 1972 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1375 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1972).

Opinion

William R. Roy, J.

This is an article 78 proceeding commenced by the petitioner herein for a judgment directing that the Rome Housing Authority reject all bids for the performance of work specified in contract documents entitled Interior Painting, Liberty Garden Apartments N.Y.S.-51.”

Petitioner requests that the court enter judgment (1) rescinding any determination heretofore made establishing classifications of workmen, mechanics and laborers, and the schedule of supplements to be provided and wages to be paid such persons or classifications; (2) rescinding any decision of respondents heretofore made awarding the contract to any of the bidders; (3) adjudging that the respondents be enjoined from any further proceedings under such contract, if already awarded or in awarding such contracts; and (4) ordering that the specifications, bids and contract (if any) are null and void, and that the respondents prepare specifications pursuant to law and readvertise for bids.

Sometime prior to June 7, 1972, the Rome Housing Authority advertised for bids for painting the Liberty Garden Apartments located in Rome, New York, under the above contract. It appears that the original contract documents did not contain the schedules of supplements to be provided and wages to be paid workmen, laborers and mechanics as required by subdivision 3 of section 220 of the Labor Law of the State of New York. This fact was called to the attention of the respondent, Rome Housing Authority, and the respondent, Rome Housing Authority, by its Project Manager, Mr. Stropp, rejected all bids submitted under that advertisement on the ground of an omission from the contract documents, and readvertised for bids under contract documents which contained the missing specifications as to the schedule of supplements to be provided and wages to be paid. The corrected contract documents also contained a classification of workmen to be employed on the project.

The petitioner has commenced this proceeding to set aside the awarding of any contract for the painting of the Liberty Garden Apartments and alleges as a basis for the setting aside of any such contract that the respondent, Rome Housing Author[912]*912ity, failed to comply with article 8 of the Labor Law and section 152 of the Public Housing Law.

The petitioner claims that the Borne Housing Authority failed to make a proper determination of the classification of workmen to be employed in the above contract and failed to make a proper determination as to the schedule of supplements to be provided and wages to be paid to the workmen, laborers and mechanics on the painting project. The petitioner, in substance, claims that the respondent, Borne Housing Authority, acted in excess of its jurisdiction and in violation of section 220 of the Labor Law in that the proper fiscal officer ’ ’ failed to prepare the schedule of supplements and wages as required by that section. It contends that the Treasurer of the City of Borne is the “ fiscal officer ” within the meaning of section 220 and that the Treasurer of the City of Borne was not the person who prepared the schedule of supplements and wages to be paid under the above contract.

The respondent, Borne Housing Authority, claims that the petitioner lacks standing to question the action of the Borne Housing Authority in making its determination as to the classification of workmen to be employed and the schedule of supplements to be provided and wages to be paid in connection with the above contract. The Borne Housing Authority further claims, that in any event, the fiscal officer referred to in section 220 of the Labor Law is Mr. Bichard J. Stropp, the Executive Director and Project Manager of the Borne Housing Authority and that he properly prepared the classification and schedule of supplements and wages pursuant to that section of the Labor Law.

The respondent, Borne Housing Authority, has cross-moved to dismiss the proceeding on the ground that the plaintiff is not a person interested within the meaning of section 220 of the Labor Law of the State of New York; that Bichard J. Stropp is the “fiscal officer ” within the meaning of that section of the Labor Law; that Mr. Stropp, as such fiscal officer, did not abuse his discretion nor act illegally in fixing the prevailing schedule pf supplements and wages to be paid; and on the further ground that the petitioner is not a person aggrieved within the meaning of article 78 of the CPLB,. and further, that Mr. Stropp’s determination was not arbitrary and capricious as claimed by petitioner.

The respondents, City of Borne and Bichard A. Fahy, have cross-moved to dismiss the petition as to them, alleging in substance that the City of Bóme, and particularly Bichard A. Fahy, as treasurer thereof, are not proper parties to this proceeding.

[913]*913With respect to the question as to whether the petitioner has standing to bring this proceeding, the court is of the opinion that petitioner does have such standing so as to enable it to bring this article 78 proceeding.

It must be pointed out that this is not a complaint pursuant to subdivision 7 of section 220 of the Labor Law. If it were, the court would be of the opinion that the petitioner would not be a “ person interested ” within the meaning of that subdivision of section 220 and would, accordingly, lack standing. (Matter of Terry v. Goodsell, 4 A D 2d 395, affd. 4 N Y 2d 999.)

This is an article 78 proceeding and as such petitioner is an aggrieved party within the meaning of that article. (Cf. Matter of General Bldg. Contrs. of N. Y. State v. County of Oneida, 54 Misc 2d 260.)

At the root of this controversy, and the basic question to be determined by this court, is who is the proper fiscal officer to make the determination as to the schedule of supplements to be provided and wages to be paid pursuant to section 220 of the Labor Law. Petitioner contends that such fiscal officer is the Treasurer of the City of Rome. The respondents, Rome Housing Authority, City of Rome, and Mr. Fahy, as Treasurer of the City of Rome, contend that Mr. Richard J. Stropp, the Project Manager of the Rome Housing Authority, is the fiscal officer ” within the meaning of section 220 of the Labor Law and that as such the actions taken by him with respect to the above contract were proper.

Section 32 of the Public Housing Law of the State of New York provides, among other things, that a housing authority shall select from among its members a vice-chairman, a general manager, a secretary, technical experts, and such other officers, agents, and employees as it may require. It further provides that the Authority may delegate to one or more of its agents or employees such powers or duties as it may deem proper. There is no question that Mr. Richard J. Stropp, as the Project Manager of the Rome Housing Authority, has obligations with respect to and performance of functions that would normally be performed by a fiscal officer.

Section 152 of the Public Housing Law provides, among other things, that: all contracts of an authority involving the employment, among others, of laborers, workmen or mechanics shall be in conformity with the provisions of article 8 of the labor law, and such provisions shall be deemed terms of all such contracts; and for the purpose of obtaining the prevailing rate of wages or fees for such contracts, the authority shall [914]*914proceed in the same manner as the municipality in which the authority operates

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Barnes v. Commissioner of Labor & Industry
413 A.2d 259 (Court of Special Appeals of Maryland, 1980)
Halpern v. Lomenzo
81 Misc. 2d 467 (New York Supreme Court, 1975)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
72 Misc. 2d 910, 339 N.Y.S.2d 847, 1972 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1375, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/empire-state-chapter-of-the-associated-builders-contractors-inc-v-rome-nysupct-1972.