Public Water Supply District No. 2 of Jefferson County v. State Highway Commission

472 S.W.2d 347
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedNovember 8, 1971
DocketNo. 55842
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 472 S.W.2d 347 (Public Water Supply District No. 2 of Jefferson County v. State Highway Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Public Water Supply District No. 2 of Jefferson County v. State Highway Commission, 472 S.W.2d 347 (Mo. 1971).

Opinion

HOUSER, Commissioner.

This is an appeal under the Administrative Review Act, Chapter 536, RSMo 1969, V.A.M.S., by State Highway Commission from a judgment of the Circuit Court of Jefferson County reversing an order made by the commission following a hearing held by the commission under § 227.240.1 (All section references are to RSMo 1969, V. A.M.S.) The commission order required Public Water Supply District No. 2, Jefferson County, Missouri to relocate certain of its water mains and portions of its water mains to a location where they would not interfere with the construction, maintenance or use of the new highway envisioned by Project F-30-1 (10) for the improvement of State Highway Route 30 in Jefferson County.

A number of subdivisions had been built along Route 30. Access to Route 30 from these subdivisions was had by roads constructed within the subdivisions when they were laid out. One end of each of the subdivision roads dead-ended in the subdivisions. The other end either connected directly with Route 30 or connected with another road leading to Route 30. Water mains and pipes belonging to the water district were laid in or alongside the subdivision roads and along the right of way of Route 30. The right of way of the new highway as planned and designed in Project F-30-1 (10) was wider than the right [349]*349of way of Route 30. At various points along the proposed improvement the new and wider right of way encompassed portions of the subdivision roads, including areas in which the water district’s mains and pipes lay.

At the hearing before the commission there was unobjected to and uncontrovert-ed evidence that in order to accommodate the construction and maintenance of the proposed new highway the district’s facilities within the proposed right of way would require relocation or adjustment due to the weight of the dead load of the equipment passing back and forth over the district’s pipes, the possibility of leaks, the disruption of traffic, the expense of repair and maintenance, and the difficulty in re-compacting the subsurface after it has been interfered with by utility facility repairs. The district conceded both that the relocation was necessary and that if the facilities had to be moved the proposed relocation was reasonable.

The parties stipulated at the hearing that the subdivisions and lanes were in unincorporated areas of Jefferson County and within the area served by the district; that plats of the subdivisions and lanes had been filed in the land records; that no state, federal, county, township, or special road district employees, equipment or tax money had been spent in constructing or maintaining the subdivision roads, but had been maintained by the people living in the subdivisions; that in 1966 the district’s facilities were installed in the areas described in the plats as roads and that no condemnation action had been filed by the commission against the district to condemn easement rights or facilities “laid on easements.”

Assuming the laboring oar counsel for the commission introduced in evidence certified copies of the subdivision plats; the commission plans; and oral testimony as to futile efforts to reach agreement with the district, the manner in which it was proposed to build the project, how the construction would affect the necessary relocation of the district’s facilities and the public character of the subdivision roads, Counsel took the position that there had been a common-law dedication of the subdivision roads to the public.

The district challenged the jurisdiction of the commission, claiming that it was attempting to determine title to real estate, a function within the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts, and that its authorization under § 227.240, 1. to relocate utility facilities was restricted to relocation of facilities within state highways but that in this proceeding it was attempting to make determinations with respect to private roads over which it had no jurisdiction. The district introduced evidence of the existence of easements from the property owners authorizing installation of its facilities and the installation of water pipe along the subdivision roads under these easements; the effect of cutting in two its facilities on a subdivision road; negotiations between the commission personnel and the district as to costs; the private character of the subdivision roads and that the cost of relocating the facilities would approximate a total of from $126,546 with an estimated contingency additional cost of $20,878. In argument district counsel, conceding the necessity of the relocation, referred to the damages sustained by the district, complained that condemnation proceedings had not been priorly instituted against the district and contended that the question was what damages were due the district for the diminution in value of its easement rights, the damage not only for taking the installations within the new highway right of way but also the damage to the entire length of the installations along the several subdivision roads (which average 1200 feet in length) by the cutting of some of the water lines in two.

The commission made basic findings of fact and conclusions of law as to the necessity and reasonableness of the relocation. It further found that the subdivision roads were public roads and ordered the [350]*350water district to relocate the facilities according to the plans at its own cost and expense. The commission purported to base its order upon evidence and not merely upon a previously established policy to require the owners to pay the expense of relocation when the facilities were located in public ways (thus satisfying the requirements of St. Louis County Water Co. v. State Highway Commission, Mo.Sup., 386 S.W.2d 119).

On review the circuit court found that the proposed relocation was necessary and as shown on the exhibits was proper; that the subdivision roads were private roads, not public roads; that the district’s facilities were not located on state highways, public right of way or public roads but on private roads; that the commission was without jurisdiction over the subdivision roads and had no authority to order removal of utility facilities therein; that the order of relocation of utility facilities located on said roads was in excess of authority and not supported by competent evidence upon the whole record; and that rights of way should be acquired prior to relocation. The circuit court reversed the commission’s order as void insofar as it attempted to assert jurisdiction over the subdivision roads and remanded the case to the commission for reconsideration in the light of its findings and judgment.

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472 S.W.2d 347, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/public-water-supply-district-no-2-of-jefferson-county-v-state-highway-mo-1971.