Fuller Springs v. State ex rel. City of Lufkin

• Decision Date: 13 December 1973
• Docket Number: No. 7499,7499
• Citation: 503 S.W.2d 351
• Parties: FULLER SPRINGS, Appellant, v. STATE of Texas ex rel. CITY OF LUFKIN, Appellee.
• Court: Texas Court of Appeals

Page 351

503 S.W.2d 351

FULLER SPRINGS, Appellant, v. STATE of Texas ex rel. CITY OF LUFKIN, Appellee.

No. 7499.

Court of Civil Appeals of Texas Beaumont.

Dec. 13, 1973.

Rehearing Denied Jan. 10, 1974.

William Drew Perkins, Lufkin, for appellant.

Robert Flournoy, City Atty., Dan Brazil, Dist. Atty., Lufkin, for appellee.

STEPHENSON, Justice.

This is a proceeding in quo warranto filed on the relation of the city of Lufkin to have the incorporation of the town of Fuller Springs declared void. Trial was by jury; but, after hearing evidence, the trial court withdrew the case from the jury and rendered judgment that the attempted incorporation was invalid. The parties will be referred to here as Lufkin and Fuller Springs.

For clarity, the following calendar of events is set forth:

8--17--71--Lufkin authorized preparation of annexation ordinance and publication of notice

8--27--71--Newspaper notice of proposed annexation by Lufkin

8--30--71--Petition filed and Fuller Springs incorporation election called

9--7--71--Lufkin hearing of proposed annexation

9--7--71--Lufkin first reading annexation ordinance

9--14--71--Fuller Springs incorporation election carried

9--21--71--Lufkin second reading annexation ordinance

The territory covered by the annexation would place a portion of the land sought to be incorporated by Fuller Springs within the 'extraterritorial jurisdiction' of Lufkin.

Fuller Springs has points of error contending that the filing of its petition and the calling of the incorporation election by the county judge gave it jurisdiction over the territory in question, and the newspaper notice of the proposed annexation did not give Lufkin jurisdiction.

The statement of law, appearing frequently in jurisdictional dispute cases is set forth in State v. Town of Lakeside, 328 S.W.2d 245 (Tex.Civ.App., Fort Worth, 1959, refused), as follows:

'The municipal authority, be it one having a legal existence or in the process of organization, which first commences legal proceedings asserting authority over a given territory thereby acquires a jurisdiction over the same which cannot thereafter be defeated by a subsequent attempted exercise of jurisdiction by a similar municipal organization. State ex rel. George v. Baker, 120 Tex. 307, 40 S.W.2d 41.' (and other cases cited) (328 S.W.2d 245 at 247) Was the action of the City Commission instructing the City Attorney to prepare the annexation ordinance and instructing the City Secretary to publish a newspaper notice of the proposed annexation "a legal proceeding asserting authority" over the territory in question? Art. 970a, § 6, Vernon's Ann.Civ.St ., provides that no area may be annexed by a municipality unless and until there has been a public hearing and that notice of such hearing should be published in a newspaper.

We have not been cited nor have we found any cases directly in point. The minutes of the City Commission showed that on July 20, 1971, a request for sewer service for citizens in the territory in question was presented. The minutes of August 5, 1971, showed the City Manager called attention to the request for sewer service and possible annexation of that territory. The minutes of August 17, 1971, showed that the City Manager presented a plat covering this proposed annexation, together with the recommendation of the City Planning and Zoning Commission, and a motion was passed instructing the City Attorney to prepare an ordinance covering probable annexation of their territory after a proper hearing, 'etc.' had been conducted thereon. The City Secretary testified that pursuant to those instructions by the City Commission, he posted the notice in the newspaper. The City Engineer testified that on August 17, 1971, the City Commission instructed the City Secretary or the City Manager to see that the proper notices were published in the paper.

Lufkin made requests for admissions to Fuller Springs, one of which was: The City Commission on August 17, 1971, authorized the publication of notice of the public hearing. Fuller Springs said it could neither admit nor deny that request, because it was not a statement of fact but a statement of law or a legal conclusion.

We hold the action by the Lufkin City Commission, August 17, 1971, followed by the newspaper notice, August 27, 1971, was the commencement of legal proceedings asserting authority over the territory in question.

Art. 970a, § 6, V.A.C.S., provides that such notice must be published not more than 20 days nor less than 10 days prior to the hearing. The law providing that there can be no annexation proceedings before the hearing, would result in an untenable position if the law is different from the holding of this case. Every attempted annexation could be defeated by the securing of a petition and presentation to the county judge between the date of the newspaper notice and the date of the hearing on the proposed annexation.

No case in Texas, involving an annexation proceeding, has said that adoption of an ordinance on first reading is the sole method of 'commencing legal proceedings asserting authority over a given territory.' It is written in several cases, including Duncanville, infra, that passage on first reading Constitutes the institution of annexation proceedings, but that underlined term is not to be confused with Commencing legal proceedings asserting authority. The two do not have the same meaning.

Art. 970a, § 6, V.A.C.S., provides adequate protection now so that municipalities can no longer hold a territory in limbo by passing an annexation ordinance on first reading and then delaying further action for an extended period of time. It is specifically provided that annexation of a territory by a city shall be brought to completion within 90 days of the date on which it institutes annexation proceedings or the proceedings are null and void. The points are overruled.

Fuller Springs' third point of error is that the Lufkin annexation ordinance is void because the proceedings were commenced less than 10 days after the public hearing. The calendar of events above shows that Lufkin passed the annexation ordinance on first reading, the same day as the hearing.

In Art. 970a, § 6, V.A.C.S., the following is stated:

'Before any city may institute annexation proceedings the governing body of such city shall provide an opportunity for all interested persons to be heard at a public hearing to be held not more than twenty (20) days nor less than ten (10) days prior to institution of such proceedings.'

The Supreme Court of this state in City of Duncanville v. City of Woodland Hills, 489 S.W.2d 557 (Tex.1972), held an annexation ordinance to be invalid because the city passed it on first reading, less than ten days after the public hearing.

It is to recalled that this action was brought by Lufkin in quo warranto in which the allegations are made generally that the incorporation by Fuller Springs was void because Lufkin had already acquired jurisdiction over the territory in question. Fuller Springs' answer contained three special exceptions not pertinent to the issues here, an assertion that its incorporation was legal and a general denial. Later, Fuller Springs filed a cross-action against Lufkin in which this matter was not mentioned. Such cross-action was dismissed by the trial court on motion filed by Fuller Springs before judgment was entered by the trial court from which their appeal was taken.

The Lufkin annexation ordinance was not under direct attack in this case, as evidenced by the pleadings set forth above. Fuller Springs' point of error then is good only if the annexation ordinance is void. As the Supreme Court wrote recently in Hoffman v . Elliott, 476 S.W.2d 845 (Tex.1972), as follows:

'If the annexation be wholly void because not authorized by law or color of law, a collateral attack is permissible.'

See also City of Irving v....