Town of Berthoud v. Town of Johnstown

983 P.2d 174, 1999 Colo. J. C.A.R. 2681, 1999 Colo. App. LEXIS 126, 1999 WL 304814
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 13, 1999
Docket98CA0154
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 983 P.2d 174 (Town of Berthoud v. Town of Johnstown) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Colorado Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Town of Berthoud v. Town of Johnstown, 983 P.2d 174, 1999 Colo. J. C.A.R. 2681, 1999 Colo. App. LEXIS 126, 1999 WL 304814 (Colo. Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

Opinion by

Judge ROTHENBERG.

The Town of Berthoud (Berthoud) appeals the summary judgment granted in favor of the Town of Johnstown (Johnstown) and the judgment awarding Johnstown costs. We affirm.

This action arises from Johnstown’s annexation of five parcels of land which extended Johnstown’s southern boundary over two miles south to the Berthoud exit on Interstate 25. One petition for annexation encompassing all five parcels was filed in November 1996. Johnstown held public hearings and adopted an ordinance annexing the property which became effective February 1, 1997.

During the same period, Berthoud annexed property by passing emergency ordinances to extend its boundary to within one mile of the Johnstown annexation. Ber-thoud’s annexation on December 30, 1996 extended its boundary just under three miles, and its annexation on February 11, 1997 extended the boundary an additional two miles.

Berthoud filed a motion with Johnstown for reconsideration of Johnstown’s annexation. After Johnstown refused to reconsider, Berthoud filed this action in district court.

Thereafter, Johnstown moved for summary judgment contending, among other things, that Berthoud lacked standing to contest the annexation. The trial court agreed and granted Johnstown’s motion for., summary judgment.

I.

Berthoud first contends the trial court erred in determining that it lacked standing to contest the Johnstown annexation under the Municipal Annexation Act of 1965, § 31-12-101, et seq., C.R.S.1998, and that summary judgment was thus improper. We disagree.

Summary judgment should be granted only if there is no genuine issue as to any material fact, and the burden to so demonstrate is on the movant. Appellate review of a judgment granting a motion for summary judgment is de novo. Aspen Wilderness Workshop, Inc. v. Colorado Water Conservation Board, 901 P.2d 1251 (Colo.1995).

A.

Berthoud maintains that it has standing to contest the annexation under § 31-12-116(l)(a), C.R.S.1998, and that the trial court unduly restricted application of that statute by its interpretation of a related statute, § 31-12-105(l)(e), C.R.S.1998. We are not persuaded.

Section 31-12-116(l)(a) provides standing to contest an annexation by a municipality to a neighboring municipality “ivithin one mile of the area proposed to be annexed [that] believes itself to be aggrieved by the acts of *176 the governing body of the annexing municipality.” (emphasis added)

Section 31 — 12—105(l)(e) further restricts § 31 — 12—116(l)(a) by stating that: “[N]o annexation may take place which would have the effect of extending a municipal boundary more than three miles in any direction from any point of such municipal boundary in any one year.” (emphasis added)

Here, the trial court concluded as a matter of law that, in order to have standing under § 31-12-116(l)(a), Berthoud had to be within one mile of the contested annexation area at the time of the effective date of Johnstown’s annexation ordinance. It was undisputed that Berthoud’s boundary was not within one mile of the contested annexation on the relevant date. On that basis, the court determined that Berthoud lacked standing under § 31-12-116(l)(a). It further concluded that. Berthoud annexations extended its boundary more than three miles in “one year” in violation of § 31-12-105(l)(e).

Berthoud only challenged on appeal the trial court’s determination that Berthoud had violated § 31-12-105(l)(e) and has not challenged the court’s determination that it had to be within one mile of Johnstown’s annexation on or before the effective date of Johns-town’s ordinance under § 31-12-116(l)(a). Although the “within one mile” issue was raised on appeal in Johnstown’s answer brief, Berthoud chose not to respond to the issue in its reply brief.

Because Berthoud did not challenge the trial court’s legal determination that it had failed to satisfy the “within one mile” requirement, we likewise conclude that Ber-thoud lacked standing under § 31-12-116. Thus, we need not address whether § 31-12-105(l)(e) imposed further restrictions on Ber-thoud’s ability to show standing.

B.

Berthoud next contends the trial court erred in concluding that it lacked standing pursuant to § 31-12-104(2), C.R.S. 1998. Again, we disagree.

Section 31-12-104(2)(b), C.R.S.1998, provides for judicial review of annexations which are “disconnected municipal satellites.” However, review is available only to a municipality that is directly affected by such annexation, and only if the municipality has a plan in place which generally describes:

[t]he proposed location, character, and extent of streets, subways, bridges, waterways, waterfronts, parkways, playgrounds, squares, parks, aviation fields, other public ways, grounds, open spaces, public utilities, and terminals for water, light, sanitation, transportation, and power to be provided by the municipality and the proposed land uses for the area. Such plan shall be updated at least once annually.

Section 31-12-105(l)(e), C.R.S.1998.

Here, the trial court determined that Ber-thoud did not have a plan in place for the specific area annexed by Johnstown and, thus, that it did not meet the requirements of § 31-12-105(l)(e). We have reviewed Ber-thoud’s plan, and the only apparent reference to the area annexed by Johnstown was the inclusion of the area on a map within Ber-thoud’s urban growth boundary.

Accordingly, we conclude, as did the trial court, that this plan does not meet the requirements of § 31-12-105(l)(e), and therefore does not bestow standing on Berthoud to contest Johnstown’s annexation.

In view of this conclusion, we need not address the additional issues raised by Ber-thoud of contiguity and whether the annexation constituted a disconnected municipal satellite under § 31-12-104(2), C.R.S.1998.

II.

Berthoud next contends it acquired standing to challenge Johnstown’s annexation under Colo. Const, art. II, § 30, because Johnstown’s annexation is within Berthoud’s planning area. We disagree.

Colo. Const. Art. II, § 30, states:

(1) No unincorporated area may be annexed to a municipality unless one of the following conditions first has been met:
(a) The question of annexation has been submitted to the vote of the landowners and the registered electors in the area proposed to be annexed, and the majority of such persons voting on the question have voted for the annexation; or
*177 (b) The annexing municipality has received a petition for the annexation of such area signed by persons comprising more than fifty percent of the landowners in the area and owning more than fifty percent of. the area, excluding public streets, and alleys and any land owned by the annexing municipality; or....

By its terms, Colo.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Jones v. Samora
2016 COA 191 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 2016)
Parry v. Kuhlmann
169 P.3d 188 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 2007)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
983 P.2d 174, 1999 Colo. J. C.A.R. 2681, 1999 Colo. App. LEXIS 126, 1999 WL 304814, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/town-of-berthoud-v-town-of-johnstown-coloctapp-1999.