Case Title: Watts v. City of Wiggins

Citation: 376 So. 2d 1072

Docket Number: 

State: mississippi

Court: Mississippi Supreme Court

Date: 1979-11-14T00:00:00Z

Document:
376 So. 2d 1072 (1979) R. J. WATTS, Jr., et al. v. CITY OF WIGGINS et al. No. 51468. Supreme Court of Mississippi. November 14, 1979. Newton & Newton, J. Benjamin Newton, Jr., Robert S. Newton, James M. Hall, Wiggins, for appellants. Donald M. Waits, Parsons & Matthews, Thomas M. Matthews, Jr., Wiggins, for appellees. Before PATTERSON, SUGG and COFER, JJ. SUGG, Justice, for the Court: R.J. Watts, Jr. and others petitioned the Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the City of Wiggins to change the zoning classification of certain property from R-3 to R-1 or R-2. The Mayor and Board of Aldermen denied the relief sought by the petition and, on appeal, the Circuit Court of Stone County affirmed. *1073 Judicial review of the action taken by a board of city or county officials in zoning cases is restricted and narrow in scope. Martinson v. City of Jackson, 215 So. 2d 414 (Miss. 1968), cited with approval in Sullivan v. City of Bay St. Louis, 375 So. 2d 1200, No. 51,485, decided October 10, 1979 (not yet reported), sets forth the scope of judicial review and the burden of proof which must be met by petitioners as follows: The burden of proof is on the parties seeking rezoning to show that the character of a neighborhood has changed to such an extent that rezoning is justified and a public need exists for rezoning the property. Underwood v. City of Jackson, 300 So. 2d 442 (Miss. 1974). The Mayor and Board of Aldermen found that there was no evidence of a mistake in the zoning ordinance of 1975, and the character of the neighborhood had not changed to such an extent to justify rezoning. The evidence supports the finding of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen. Petitioners also argue that the 1975 zoning ordinance was not effective because it had not been published and part of the ordinance was omitted from the ordinance book. The petitioners also argue the ordinance was invalid for other reasons. In order for the ordinance to take effect, it was necessary for the ordinance to be published and recorded in the ordinance book as required by section 21-13-11 Mississippi Code Annotated (Supp. 1978). In City of Carthage v. William C. Walters, 375 So. 2d 228 (Miss. 1979), we held that a zoning ordinance was not effective until the provisions of the section had been complied with. The question of whether an applicant for relief under a zoning ordinance may, in the same proceeding, attack the validity of the ordinance is one of first impression in this state. The general rule is stated in 101 C.J.S. Zoning § 21, pp. 721, 722, as follows: A petitioner may not seek a change in a classification of property under a zoning ordinance and at the same time attack the validity of the ordinance. The reason for the principle is evident. The right to seek a change in the classification of property under a zoning ordinance rests on the basis that the ordinance is in effect, and to hold the ordinance invalid, would destroy the basis for the relief sought. In seeking relief from the Mayor and Board of Aldermen, petitioners could not consistently attack the validity of the ordinance which was the sole basis for the relief they sought. We therefore adopt the rule as quoted above. If petitioners desire to attack the validity of the ordinance, it must be done in a subsequent, independent proceeding. The City cross-appealed, and states that it does not take issue with the order of the circuit court sustaining the action of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen, but takes issue with that part of the memorandum opinion of the circuit judge which had the effect of invalidating its zoning ordinance. The portion of the memorandum opinion invalidating the zoning ordinance was not included in the final order of the circuit judge. The final order as entered by the circuit court controls; therefore, we do not reach the issue raised by the cross-appeal pertaining to the memorandum opinion. AFFIRMED ON DIRECT AND CROSS-APPEALS. PATTERSON, C.J., SMITH and ROBERTSON, P. JJ., and WALKER, BROOM, LEE, BOWLING and COFER, JJ., concur.