Incorporated Village of Old Field v. Introne

104 Misc. 2d 122, 430 N.Y.S.2d 192, 1980 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2288
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedMay 20, 1980
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 104 Misc. 2d 122 (Incorporated Village of Old Field v. Introne) 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
Incorporated Village of Old Field v. Introne, 104 Misc. 2d 122, 430 N.Y.S.2d 192, 1980 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2288 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1980).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Victor J. Orgera, J.

This motion for summary judgment in favor of defendants pursuant to CPLR 3212 on the grounds that the causes of action alleged in the complaint have no merit and that there are no triable issues of fact is granted.

The plaintiff is an incorporated village containing approximately 1,300 acres and 872 residents. On or about August 18, 1979, plaintiff was notified by letter that the defendant NYC/ Long Island County Service Group, a unit of the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, intended, pursuant to section 41.34 of the Mental Hygiene Law, to establish a community residence for six mentally retarded and developmentally disabled persons at a site in the Village of Old Field. That section affords a municipality 40 days after receipt of the notice to approve the site recommended, suggest alternative sites, or object to the establishment of the proposed facility because it would "result in such a concentration of community residential facilities for the mentally disabled * * * that the nature and character of * * * the municipality would be substantially altered.” (Mental Hygiene Law, § 41.34 subd [b], par [1], cl [C].) The village objected to the proposed facility and a hearing to resolve the issue was held on October 26, 1979. The commissioner’s decision, incorporated in a letter to the Village Mayor dated December 13, 1979, advised the Mayor that the village’s objections were not sustained. ’

The complaint claims that section 41.34 is an unconstitu[124]*124tional delegation of powers by the Legislature; is void because of vagueness; is violative of the plaintiffs right to due process and equal protection of the laws and that it disregards the village’s zoning ordinances. Plaintiff seeks a judgment declaring the rights of the parties and that section 41.34 be declared unconstitutional as it was applied to the plaintiff.

At the outset, it is the opinion of this court that the plaintiff lacks standing to bring this action. As was said by the Court of Appeals in Matter of Abrams v New York City Tr. Auth. (39 NY2d 990, 992) "it is one thing to have standing to correct clear illegality of official action and quite another to have standing in order to interpose litigating plaintiffs and the courts into the management and operation of public enterprises.” The same court, more recently in a case which sought relief against a State agency charged with responsibility for the care and treatment of the mentally ill discharged into the community, went even further, holding that such type of cases are not justiciable for the reason that "there are questions of broad legislative and administrative policy beyond the scope of judicial correction.” (Jones v Beame, 45 NY2d 402, 408.)1

Assuming, arguendo, for the purpose of this motion, that the plaintiff has standing and that the matter is justiciable, the plaintiffs challenges to section 41.34 are without merit.

Certain broad principles of constitutional law pertinent here are clear and well settled but bear repeating: A legislative enactment carries with it a strong presumption of constitutionality and is presumed to be supported by facts known to the Legislature (Defiance Milk Prods. Co. v Du Mond, 309 NY 537); this presumption can be overcome only by proof persuasive beyond a reasonable doubt (Hotel Dorset Co. v Trust for Cultural Resources of City of N. Y., 46 NY2d 358); courts may not concern themselves with the wisdom or expediency of the legislation (Thompson v Wallin, 301 NY 476); nor may courts substitute their judgment for that of the Legislature (Lincoln Bldg. Assoc. v Barr, 1 NY2d 413). Indeed, it is only as a last resort that the courts will strike down a legislative enactment on the ground that it is unconstitutional (Matter of Ahern v South Buffalo Ry. Co., 303 NY 545).

The plaintiff contends that section 41.34 of the Mental [125]*125Hygiene Law is an unconstitutional delegation of power because it lacks standards and criteria for its application. In support it cites Matter of Sullivan County Harness Racing Assn. v Glasser (30 NY2d 269) and Matter of City of Utica v Water Pollution Control Bd. (5 NY2d 164). Its reliance upon those cases, which were article 78 proceedings, is misplaced. The holdings in those cases are contrary to that suggested by plaintiff. In Sullivan County, the court found that a statute empowering the State Harness Racing Commission to issue licenses if "the public interest, convenience or necessity will be served thereby and a proper case for the issuance of such license is shown consistent with the purposes of this act and the best interests of racing generally” incorporated sufficient standards and constituted a proper delegation of power by the Legislature. While the plaintiff correctly sets forth the general principle enunciated in City of Utica (supra, p 168) that "[t]he Legislature may constitutionally confer discretion upon an administrative agency only if it limits the field in which that discretion is to operate and provides standards to govern its exercise”, it omits the two sentences immediately following, to wit: "That does not, however, mean that a precise or specific formula must be furnished in a field 'where flexibility and the adaptation of the [legislative] policy to infinitely variable conditions constitute the essence of the program.’ * * * It is enough if the Legislature lays down 'an intelligible principle’, specifying the standards or guides in as detailed a fashion as is reasonably practicable in the light of the complexities of the particular area to be regulated.” (Citations omitted.)

In upholding the constitutionality of section 2800 of the Public Health Law, the Court of Appeals held that "to provide for the protection and promotion of the health of the inhabitants of the state” was a sufficient and adequate standard. (Matter of Levine v Whalen, 39 NY2d 510, 516.) The court then went on to cite numerous cases, both Federal and New York, where statutory standards, such as "public interest, convenience, or necessity”, "public peace, safety and good order”, "public health, safety and general welfare”, were upheld as being sufficiently specific and clear. More recently, in Nicholas v Kahn (47 NY2d 24, 31), the court stated that while the Legislature cannot delegate its lawmaking power to an administrative agency "it is not necessary that the Legislature supply administrative officials with rigid formulas in fields where flexibility in the adaptation of the legislative [126]*126policy to infinitely variable conditions constitute the very essence of the programs. Rather, the standards prescribed by the Legislature are to be read in light of the conditions in which they are to be applied”.

The statute in question which expresses the Legislature’s intent "to meet the needs of the mentally disabled * * * by providing, wherever possible, that such persons remain in normal community settings, receiving such treatment, care, rehabilitation and education, as may be appropriate to each individual” (Legislative findings and intent, L 1978, ch 468, § 1), among other things, defines a "community residential facility for the disabled”, sets forth procedures to air community objections and specifies the factors to be considered by the commissioner in making his decision. Thus, it more than meets constitutionally accepted standards.2

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Bluebook (online)
104 Misc. 2d 122, 430 N.Y.S.2d 192, 1980 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2288, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/incorporated-village-of-old-field-v-introne-nysupct-1980.