Local No. 136 v. Dayton Civ. Serv. Bd.

810 N.E.2d 457, 157 Ohio App. 3d 236, 2004 Ohio 2728
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 28, 2004
DocketNo. 20089.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 810 N.E.2d 457 (Local No. 136 v. Dayton Civ. Serv. Bd.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Local No. 136 v. Dayton Civ. Serv. Bd., 810 N.E.2d 457, 157 Ohio App. 3d 236, 2004 Ohio 2728 (Ohio Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

[EDITORS' NOTE: THIS PAGE CONTAINS HEADNOTES. HEADNOTES ARE NOT AN OFFICIAL PRODUCT OF THE COURT, THEREFORE THEY ARE NOT DISPLAYED.] *Page 238 {¶ 1} The city of Dayton Civil Service Board, the Dayton City Commission, and ten individual officials of the city, all defendants, are appealing from the judgment by the trial court sustaining plaintiffs' motion for declaratory judgment and injunctive relief. This case was filed by the International Association of Firefighters, Local Union No. 136, the Fraternal Order of Police, Captain John C. Post Lodge No. 44, and 15 individuals as citizens and residents of the city of Dayton, Ohio, to challenge the "fire diversity plan" promulgated and about to be implemented by the defendants. The issues raised on appeal are set forth in the following two assignments of error by the appellants:

{¶ 2} "1. The trial court erred as a matter of law in determining that the Dayton Charter prohibited preference points on competitive classified civil service exams for honorable military service, successful prior Dayton employment and specialized training.

{¶ 3} "2. The trial court erred as a matter of law in determining that the appellees met the jurisdictional requirements of a taxpayer's action."

{¶ 4} The facts of the case and the arguments of both parties as well as the reasoning of the judgment of the trial court are set forth below in the portions of the court's judgment that are relevant to the issues on appeal:

{¶ 5} "The City of Dayton has a long and storied history of litigation regarding its Civil Service system and its efforts to diversify its employee population. The City of Dayton is a municipal corporation established and governed pursuant to the Constitution of the State of Ohio and the City Charter. Pursuant to the City Charter and the Ohio Constitution, the Civil Service Board establishes rules governing the City's civil service. Between the years of 2000 and 2001, the City *Page 239 of Dayton, in conjunction with several other entities including Plaintiffs, created a `Fire Diversity Plan.' This Fire Diversity Plan included a proposed change to the Civil Service Rules. In August of 2002, the Civil Service Board voted to amend Rule 6 of the Civil Service Rules and Regulations.

{¶ 6} "The proposed changes allowed `preference points' to be awarded on the firefighter civil service entrance exam to honorably discharged military veterans, persons that had satisfactorily completed six months or more of full time employment with the City of Dayton, and persons selected who had successfully completed training in the Fire Apprentice Program. According to the Fire Diversity Plan, individuals may participate in the Fire Apprentice Program only if they are chosen by a `Selection Committee' composed of City of Dayton representatives and others. However, the Fire Apprentice Program is no longer active at this time due to budget constraints. Nevertheless, the court will consider the Fire Apprentice Program as a part of this decision, as it continues to be a category of individuals who are awarded preference points.

{¶ 7} "The City Commission approved the proposed amendments to Rule 6 regarding candidates for the position of firefighter recruits by Resolution No. 5220-02, dated August 21, 2002. As the Fire Apprentice Program was administered, the apprentices are selected by a five-person committee consisting of two individuals appointed by Plaintiff IAFF Local 136, two individuals appointed by the City of Dayton and one individual appointed by Sinclair Community College.

{¶ 8} "On August 26, 2002, the Civil Service Board issued an Exam Announcement indicating that it would hold a competitive examination for the position of firefighter recruit and announced its intention to comply with Civil Service Rule 6, as amended, in scoring the exams. The Board held a firefighter recruit exam on September 13, 2002. On the same date Plaintiffs filed this action for declaratory judgment and injunctive relief to prevent the Board from scoring the firefighter recruit exam pursuant to amended Civil Service Rule 6. Plaintiffs filed this action without sending a written request to the City Law Director to take legal action concerning Civil Service Rule 6.

{¶ 9} "Plaintiffs seek an order declaring the recent amendments to Rule 6 of the Civil Service Rules for the City of Dayton null and void as being in violation of the City Charter. Plaintiffs also seek a permanent injunction enjoining the Civil Service Board, the City Commission and any other agent of the City from enforcing or applying the relevant amendments to Rule 6 of the Civil Service Rules.

{¶ 10} "Article XVIII, Section 3 of the Ohio Constitution states: *Page 240

{¶ 11} "`Municipalities shall have authority to exercise all powers of local self-government and to adopt and enforce within their limits such local police, sanitary and other similar regulations, as are not in conflict with general laws.'

{¶ 12} "The aforementioned is referred to as the `home-rule' authority of municipal corporations. That section of the Ohio Constitution grants to municipal corporations the power of self government, provided the municipal ordinances do not conflict with the general laws of the State of Ohio. The Charter that the City of Dayton enacted does not conflict with any general laws, nor does it violate the Ohio Constitution. The City of Dayton, therefore, had the authority, as a home-rule municipality, to enact Civil Service rules consistent with the City Charter. Therefore, the Dayton City Charter, specifically Section 96, and not the Civil Services statutes in Ohio, is the legislative authority to be considered. With the aforementioned preface, the Court will now consider the merits of the motion. * * *

{¶ 13} "Defendant also argues that Plaintiffs lack standing to bring a taxpayer's action because they did not send a written request to the Law Director before they filed this suit as required by ORC § 733.59.

{¶ 14} "ORC § 733.59 provides:

{¶ 15} "`If the . . . city director of law fails, upon the written request of any taxpayer of the municipal corporation, to make any application provided for in sections 733.56 to 733.58 of the Revised Code, the taxpayer may institute suit in his own name, on behalf of the municipal corporation. . . . No such suit or proceeding shall be entertained by any court until the taxpayer gives security for the cost of the proceeding.' [Ellipsis sic.]

{¶ 16} "The Ohio Supreme Court discussed the issue of standing as it relates to a taxpayer's suit in White v. Cleveland, 34 Ohio St.2d 37 [ 63 O.O.2d 79, 295 N.E.2d 665] (1973) and Nimon v. Springdale,6 Ohio St.2d 1 [35 O.O.2d 1, 215 N.E.2d 592] (1966).

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Bluebook (online)
810 N.E.2d 457, 157 Ohio App. 3d 236, 2004 Ohio 2728, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/local-no-136-v-dayton-civ-serv-bd-ohioctapp-2004.