Schonfeld v. City of Pineville

130 So. 2d 765, 1961 La. App. LEXIS 1140
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMay 22, 1961
DocketNo. 238
StatusPublished

This text of 130 So. 2d 765 (Schonfeld v. City of Pineville) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Schonfeld v. City of Pineville, 130 So. 2d 765, 1961 La. App. LEXIS 1140 (La. Ct. App. 1961).

Opinion

HOOD, Judge.

Plaintiffs instituted this suit against the City of Pineville and the Clerk of Court of Rapides Parish for judgment decreeing Local Assessment Ordinances 19-A and 19-B of the City of Pineville to be null and void, and ordering that the assessments against plaintiffs’ property under the authority of said ordinances be cancelled and erased from the mortgage records of Rapides Parish. Plaintiffs further seek a judgment decreeing certain notes executed by them in favor of the City of Pineville, under Local Assessment Ordinance 19-A, to be null and void and ordering the City of Pineville to return said notes to plaintiffs.

Defendant, City of Pineville, filed an answer and a reconventional demand, affirmatively alleging the validity of the two local assessment ordinances which plaintiffs attack, and in the alternative demanding judgment against plaintiffs for the amounts of said assessments on a quantum meruit basis.

The trial judge rendered judgment in favor of plaintiffs, granting them the relief which they seek, and defendants have appealed from that judgment.

Plaintiffs are the owners of property abutting a portion of Glen Ellen Street, a residential thoroughfare, in the City of Pineville. Glen Ellen Street runs in an easterly direction from the point where it intersects the north corporate limits of the City of Pineville, a distance of more than 800 feet, to the point where it intersects Shady Avenue. At its intersection with Shady Avenue, Glen Ellen Street then turns sharply to the south and runs in a southerly direction a distance of more that 600 feet to its terminus. The two ordinances which plaintiffs are attacking relate only to the north-south portion of Glen Ellen Street, being the portion which runs south from its intersection with Shady Avenue to its terminus. Plaintiffs own property on both sides of this north-south portion of Glen Ellen Street.

In February, 1956, some of the plaintiffs joined with other property owners in petitioning the Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the City of Pineville to pave the east-west portion of Glen Ellen Street, being that portion of the street which extends from the north corporate limits of the city to its intersection with Shady Avenue. All of the necessary legal requirements, in-[767]*767eluding the preparation of specifications, advertisement for bids, and the acceptance of the lowest bid were complied with, and on or about April 18, 1956, the City of Pineville entered into a contract with A. L. Farr for the paving of the east-west portion of that street.

While this paving was being done, some of the plaintiffs in this suit prepared and signed a petition, addressed to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the City of Pineville, petitioning that body “by proper ordinance and proceedings” to have the north-south portion of Glen Ellen Street also paved. This petition was never formally filed with the city officials of the City of Pineville, but instead it was delivered to Mr. Howard L’Heureux, the City Engineer, who thereupon, on August 4, 1956, issued a “Change Order” to the contractor authorizing him to proceed with the paving of the north-south portion of Glen Ellen Street in addition to the paving provided for in the contract. This change order was “accepted” by the contractor, and was “approved” by the Mayor of the City of Pineville. The Mayor and Board of Aider-men of the City of Pineville, however, did not adopt an ordinance or resolution authorizing the paving of the north-south portion of this street, there was no advertisement for bids, no competitive bids were received, and no formal action was taken by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen awarding a contract to A. L. Farr, or to anyone else, for the paving of this additional portion of Glen Ellen Street.

The contractor proceeded to pave both portions of Glen Ellen Street, that is the east-west portion which was included in the original contract as well as the north-south portion which was described in the “Change Order.” After this work had been completed by the contractor, the City Engineer issued a certificate to that effect, and the Mayor and Board of Aldermen then adopted Local Assessment Ordinance 16-A, which several months later was amended and supplemented by Local Assessment Ordinance 16-B, assessing the costs of paving the east-west portion of Glen Ellen Street to the owners of property abutting that portion of the street. At or about the same time, the Mayor and Board of Aider-men also adopted Local Assessment Ordinance 19-A, which several months later was amended and supplemented by Lo.cal Assessment Ordinance 19-B, assessing the costs of paving the north-south portion of Glen Ellen Street to the owners of property abutting that portion of the street.

The assessments imposed by Ordinances 16-A and 16-B affect only property abutting the east-west portion of Glen Ellen Street, being the portion of the street included in the original paving contract. All of the assessments imposed by those ordinances have been paid or financed, and no issue is raised here as to the validity of those two ordinances.

The assessments imposed by Ordinances 19-A and 19-B, however, relate to property abutting the north-south portion of Glen Ellen Street, being that part of the street which was described in the “Change Order.” Plaintiffs contend that both of these ordinances are null and void, and that they are entitled to have the assessments against plaintiffs’ property under said ordinances cancelled and erased from the mortgage records, because of the failure of the City of Pineville to 'adopt an ordinance or resolution ordering the paving of this portion of Glen Ellen Street, to advertise for and receive bids, and to let a contract to the lowest bidder for that work, all as required by LSA-R.S. 33:3356. The City of Pineville, on the other hand, contends that the original contract was merely extended or enlarged by the “Change Order,” that the additional paving was done at the same unit prices as were specified in the original contract, that the parties contemplated that change orders could be issued during the progress of the work, and accordingly that the work performed pursuant to the change order was done under and in conformity with a duly advertised contract.

The issues presented in this case are similar to those presented in City of Nat-[768]*768chitoches v. Kile, La.App. 2 Cir., 54 So.2d 834, 835, where a contract was awarded for the paving of a number of streets in the City of Natchitoches. All legal formalities were complied with in connection with the award of that contract. After the work was commenced the city authorized the contractor to pave another street, being the street in front of defendant’s property, under the same contract, and the contractor proceeded to do so. The city did not advertise for or receive competitive bids and a separate contract was not let for this additional paving. In holding that the paving liens resulting from the additional paving were void, the court said:

“The case tenders only a question of law. Act No. 168 of 1926, LSA-R.S. 33:3351, et seq., is the law under which plaintiff acted in the prosecution of the paving program to which referred.
“It is not denied, but on the contrary, admitted, that the provisions of the Act were not observed precedent to having the paving done in front of defendant’s property.

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Bluebook (online)
130 So. 2d 765, 1961 La. App. LEXIS 1140, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schonfeld-v-city-of-pineville-lactapp-1961.