Great Lakes Pipe Line Co. v. City of Grand Forks

142 N.W.2d 126, 1966 N.D. LEXIS 176
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedApril 27, 1966
Docket8256
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 142 N.W.2d 126 (Great Lakes Pipe Line Co. v. City of Grand Forks) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Great Lakes Pipe Line Co. v. City of Grand Forks, 142 N.W.2d 126, 1966 N.D. LEXIS 176 (N.D. 1966).

Opinions

KNUDSON, Judge.

This is an appeal from an order of the district court of Grand Forks County denying the application of Great Lakes Pipe Line Company for a writ of mandamus.

The Great Lakes Pipe Line Company, plaintiff and appellant, is the sole owner of certain real property lying to the north of U. S. Highway No. 2 and located in the northwest part of the corporate limits of the City of Grand Forks, North Dakota. The City of Grand Forks is defendant and respondent in this action.

In 1964 the City annexed the real property owned by the Company. The annexation proceedings were initiated by the City and were protested by the Company. The validity of the annexation is not questioned. After its property had been annexed to the City of Grand Forks, the Company petitioned the city council to exclude and disconnect its property from the city limits. In its petition, the Company alleged, among other things, that its property is now within and borders on the limits of the City of Grand Forks; that its property is wholly unplatted, not having been laid out in municipal lots and blocks; and that there are no municipal sewers other than sewer outlets, water mains, pavements, sidewalks, or other municipal improvements that have been made or constructed therein.

In response to the Company’s petition, the city council heard the matter on December 21, 1964, and made the following findings of fact and conclusions:

1.
On the 7th day of December, 1964, the Great Lakes Pipe Line Company filed its Petition to Exclude and Disconnect From the City of Grand Forks the following described property which is situated within and borders on the limits of the City of Grand Forks, North Dakota, to-wit: [Metes and bounds description omitted.]
2.
■ Notice of the presentation of said Petition was published in the official newspaper, The Grand Forks Herald, on December 7, 1964, and on December 14, 1964.
3.
The Great Lakes Pipe Line Company is the sole owner of the property described in the said Petition and there are no electors residing therein.
4.
Pursuant to 57-02-39 of N.D.C.C. the Great Lakes Pipe Line Company property described herein was platted and described as:
Lot “A, Auditor’s Subdivision No. 1 of part of the South Half (S1/2) of Section 32, Township 152 North, of Range 50 West, Grand Forks County, North Dakota,” such Plat being recorded in office of the Register of Deeds on April 28, 1953, in Book 141 of Deeds at page 376.
[129]*1295.
That within the City of Grand Forks, the sewer and water mains are commonly situated within the public right-of-way and similar to most all properties within the City, Great Lakes Pipe Line Company is here connected with, and is served by both sewer and water through private service lines extending from its property to the water main and sewer line situated in the abutting highway right-of-way. The water meter and water meter pit is situated within the Great Lakes Pipe Line Company property described herein.
6.
That on the 31st day of August, 1946, the Great Lakes Pipe Line Company, which was then outside the Grand Forks City Limits, requested the City to permit it to connect with the City water system; that following its entry into a written contract with the City, the Great Lakes Pipe Line Company was permitted to connect therewith and has been served with water service since such time.
7.
That on the 27th day of July, 1948, the Great Lakes Pipe Line Company, which was then outside the Grand Forks City Limits, requested the City to permit it to connect with the City sewer system; that following its entry into a written contract with the City, the Great Lakes Pipe Line Company was permitted to connect therewith and has been given sewer service since such time.
From the foregoing Findings of Fact the Grand Forks City Council concludes and decides that the Great Lakes Pipe Line Company is not entitled to have the said territory disconnected and excluded from the City of Grand Forks.

After the city council had decided that the Company was not entitled to have its property disconnected and excluded from the City, the Company began this proceeding and alleged in its amended complaint, among other things, that there are no electors residing on its property; that its property is wholly unplatted because it has not been laid out in municipal lots and blocks; that there are no municipal sewers other than sewer outlets, water mains, pavements, sidewalks, or other municipal improvements constructed on its property; and that the City has the duty to exclude and disconnect its property from the municipality pursuant to Sections 40-51-02 and 40-51-04, N.D.C.C., and has arbitrarily and unlawfully refused and neglected to perform that duty. The Company prayed that the district court issue a peremptory writ of mandamus commanding the City, through its governing body, to exclude and disconnect its property.

The case was tried without a jury and the court in its memorandum opinion said:

I also have checked the various rulings of the Supreme Court of the State of North Dakota and if the statutory law and the rulings of the Supreme Court were all that I would have to base my findings on it would, in my opinion, be necessary for me to grant to the Plaintiffs the writ of mandamus as they have applied for, because I do feel that the instruments introduced in evidence as exhibits show that the property in question was not platted, as that term is understood and meant by Section 40-51-04 of the North Dakota Century Code, and that therefore the City acted arbitrarily and illegally.
However, we have to also consider Defendant’s Exhibit 4 and Plaintiff’s Exhibit B, and these agreements were signed in order to obtain out-of-town sewer connections with the sewer system of the City of Grand Forks for out-of-town water connections from said City.

The City’s exhibit 4 and the Company’s exhibit B contained the following language:

That should petitions hereafter be filed by persons in the vicinity of the above [130]*130described premises for the inclusion thereof within the limits of the City of Grand Forks, or should said premises be included within the City of Grand Forks and petition[s] be filed for the extension of the sewerage system [water mains] to the vicinity of said premises by special assessment projects, the undersigned will not protest against either such extension of city limits, or the construction of such special improvements, but nothing in this agreement shall be construed as requiring the undersigned to join -in any construction of any such improvements.

After considering the language of the two exhibits which was quoted above, the trial court further stated:

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

Related

Eisenzimmer v. City of Balfour
352 N.W.2d 628 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1984)
Abrahamson v. Amos
245 N.W.2d 888 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1976)
Fargo Ed. Ass'n v. Paulsen
239 N.W.2d 842 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1976)
Williams Bros. Pipe Line Co. v. City of Grand Forks
163 N.W.2d 517 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1968)
Frandsen v. Mayer
155 N.W.2d 294 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1967)
Great Lakes Pipe Line Co. v. City of Grand Forks
142 N.W.2d 126 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1966)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
142 N.W.2d 126, 1966 N.D. LEXIS 176, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/great-lakes-pipe-line-co-v-city-of-grand-forks-nd-1966.