Tippecanoe Sanitary Landfill, Inc. v. Board of County Commissioners

455 N.E.2d 971, 1983 Ind. App. LEXIS 3557
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 10, 1983
Docket2-982A324
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 455 N.E.2d 971 (Tippecanoe Sanitary Landfill, Inc. v. Board of County Commissioners) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tippecanoe Sanitary Landfill, Inc. v. Board of County Commissioners, 455 N.E.2d 971, 1983 Ind. App. LEXIS 3557 (Ind. Ct. App. 1983).

Opinion

RATLIFF, Judge.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

In an action for injunctive relief initiated against the appellant, Tippecanoe Sanitary Landfill, Inc. (TSL), by T.R. Ash Company, TSL filed a third-party complaint against the Board of County Commissioners of Tippecanoe County (Board of Commissioners). The Board, in turn, moved for summary judgment. This motion was granted by the Tippecanoe Superior Court on April 29, 1982. It is from this determination that TSL now appeals. 1 We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand.

*973 FACTS

.._ Following promulgation of the Refuse Disposal Act of 1965, 2 declaring open dumps to be "inimical to human health," Indiana Code section 19-2-1-81 (1974), 3 governmental units were required to dispose of refuse by one of the methods delineated in Indiana Code section 19-2-1-8(a)-(e) (1974). 4 The Act also provided governmental units with the authority to contract with private parties for the collection and disposal of refuse, Indiana Code section 19-2-1-4 (1974); 5 appropriate land for disposal premises and facilities, Indiana Code section 19-2-1-5 (1974); 6 and "make and enter into contracts or agreements necessary or incidental to the performance of its duties and the execution of its powers under this act." Indiana Code section 19-2-1-7 (1974). 7

In response to the Act, various open dumps in Tippecanoe County were closed and an agreement was made among the Board of Commissioners, City of Lafayette, City of West Lafayette, and the Trustees of Purdue University providing for the establishment of a single sanitary landfill which would be available to all residents of Tippecanoe County.

As a result of this agreement, TSL was formed in 1971 and since that time has operated the only sanitary landfill in Tippecanoe County. In the year of its formation, TSL contracted with the Board of Commissioners to accept all refuse delivered to its landfill by the various refuse haulers in the county. The contract further provided that TSL would charge a maximum rate of $2.40 per ton of refuse delivered to its site. This amount, however, could be increased periodically in accordance with the Construction Cost Index. 8

In 1976, the Board of Commissioners adopted ordinance 76-19. - Tippecanoe County, Ind., Ordinance 76-19 (June 14, 1976). This ordinance, in short, provided a comprehensive scheme for regulating and licensing of persons engaged in the collection and disposal of refuse in the county.

Following expiration of the contract between TSL and the Board of Commissioners, ordinance 76-19 was amended by the enactment of ordinance 81-10. Tippecanoe County, Inc., Ordinance 81-10 (June 1, 1981). Through this amendment, maximum rates were established for landfill operators in the county with provisions for periodic increases in accordance with the Construcetion Cost Index.

Despite the establishment of maximum rates, TSL announced that commencing June 1, 1981, its rates would increase from $5.40 per ton to $8.50. In response to this increase, one of the major refuse haulers in the county, TR. Ash Company, sought in-junetive relief to prohibit TSL from charging the higher rate. TSL responded by filing a third-party complaint against the Board of Commissioners alleging that ordinances 76-19 and 81-10 were void and unconstitutional.

The Board's motion for summary judgment was granted and TSL now appeals.

ISSUES

Six issues are raised by TSL. For purposes of clarity, we restate them as follows:

1. Were ordinances 76-19 and 81-10 properly enacted in accordance with the *974 procedure set forth in Indiana Code section 17-2-22-5 (1974)? 9

2. Did the enactment of the Refuse Disposal Act pre-empt Indiana Code section 17-2-22-4 (1980 Supp.) 10 as well as ordinances 76-19 and 81-107

8. Are ordinances 76-19 and 81-10 in excess of the authority granted by Indiana Code section 17-2-22-4 (1980 Supp.)?

4. Does the word "regulate," found in Indiana Code section 17-2-224 (1980 Supp.), include the power to establish the maximum rates which may be charged by sanitary landfill operators?

5. Are the standards for establishing maximum rates contained in ordinance 81-10 reasonable?

6. Does the establishment of maximum rates by the Board of Commissioners deprive TSL of its property without due process of law, deny it equal protection, or constitute an abuse of the Board's police powers?

DISCUSSION AND DECISION

At the outset, we note TSL is appealing from the granting of summary judgment to the Board of Commissioners. Consequently, TSL must establish, with regard to the issues it argues, that there is a genuine issue of material fact which made disposition by means of summary judgment inappropriate. Indiana Rules of Procedure, Trial Rule 56(C); Osborne v. State, (1982) Ind.App., 439 N.E.2d 677, 684. In determining whether a genuine issue of material fact was present, the trial court was bound to accept as true all facts alleged by TSL and resolve all doubts against the Board. Osborne, 439 N.E.2d at 684; Moll v. South Central Solar Systems, Inc., (1981) Ind.App., 419 N.E.2d 154, 159; Kendrick Memorial Hospital, Inc. v. Totten, (1980) Ind.App., 408 N.E.2d 130, 134. However, nonmoving parties, such as TSL, may not merely rely upon the allegations in their complaint, but must come forth with sufficient factual allegations to establish the existence of genuine issues. Associates Financial Services Co. of Kentucky, Inc. v. Knapp, (1981) Ind.App., 422 N.E.2d 1261, 1264. Notwithstanding a nonmoving party's failure to make such a showing, a trial court may not grant the motion unless the moving party can establish it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. v. Neville, (1982) Ind.App., 484 N.E.2d 585, 589, trans. denied.

Thus, in reviewing the granting of summary judgment, this court engages in a two-step analysis. First, we must be satisfied there is no genuine issue of material fact in dispute and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Then, upon such a determination, we must ascertain whether the trial court has properly applied the law. Nahmias v. Trustees of Indiana University, (1983) Ind.App., 444 N.E.2d 1204, 1206, trans. denied.

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Bluebook (online)
455 N.E.2d 971, 1983 Ind. App. LEXIS 3557, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tippecanoe-sanitary-landfill-inc-v-board-of-county-commissioners-indctapp-1983.