Case Title: CARLTON v. Bd. of Zoning Appeals

Citation: 245 N.E.2d 337, 252 Ind. 56

Docket Number: 369S58

State: indiana

Court: Indiana Supreme Court

Date: 1969-03-19T00:00:00Z

Document:
252 Ind. 56 (1968)
245 N.E.2d 337
CARLTON ET AL.
v.
BOARD OF ZONING APPEALS OF INDIANAPOLIS ET AL.
No. 369S58.

Supreme Court of Indiana.
Filed April 8, 1968.
Rehearing denied May 23, 1968.
Transfer granted March 19, 1969.
*57 Robert A. Claycombe, William D. Ruckelshaus, of Indianapolis, for appellant.
Charles G. Castor, John P. Korbly, of Indianapolis, for appellee.
DeBRULER, C.J.
This case originated when the Appellees petitioned the Board of Zoning Appeals of Indianapolis for a variance of use in order to construct an apartment building on the property owned by the Appellees. The Board granted the variance over the objection of the Appellants. The Appellants obtained review by Writ of Certiorari in the Superior Court of Marion County, which court found the Board decision legal and affirmed the Board's granting of the variance. The Superior Court made findings of fact and conclusions of law which were reviewed by the Appellate Court and affirmed in 142 Ind. App. 463, 13 Ind. Dec. 679, 235 N.E.2d 503. The Appellants' petition for transfer to this Court is granted and the Appellate Court opinion is vacated.
The Appellants allege that the trial court decision was in error because the Board did not comply with certain statutory requirements and that the decision exceeded the authority of the Board to grant variances.
When the Board granted the variance of use to the Appellees, Burns' Ind. Stat. Ann. § 53-969 controlled such grants and read in part as follows:
The minutes of the Board contained in the transcript show that the Board of Zoning Appeals made the following finding:
Thus, the record shows a finding by the entire Board of Zoning Appeals which contains only four of the five required determinations, the fifth determination concerning the metropolitan comprehensive plan being omitted. In spite of this the trial court entered this special finding of fact:
The trial court was clearly in error in making this special finding.
The Appellees urge that we rely on three forms contained in the record which were apparently used for some purpose by the individual members of the Board. We set these forms out in full:
The Appellees argue that these three forms show that a majority of the Board made all five of the required written determinations and, therefore, did comply with the statute. However, even if we were to look to these individual forms, rather than to the finding of the entire Board, we do not believe that they clearly indicate that a majority of the Board *62 voted "yes" as to the presence of determination No. 5. On Mr. Owens' sheet there is a "y" next to each determination except No. 5. Assuming the "y" indicates a "yes" vote on the determination next to it, there is no "y" marked next to determination No. 5. We cannot infer how Mr. Owens voted on No. 5 in the absence of some indication of that vote. Mr. Owens' vote on No. 5 was critical since without him there were only two of the five Board members voting "yes" on No. 5 and the absence of an indication of his vote cannot be a mere "irregularity". Appellees contend that Mr. Owens' signature on the bottom of one form indicates he voted "yes" on all five determinations. We do not think that from the signature alone it can be inferred how the signor intended to vote on No. 5. The signature could have been intended merely to identify the author of the vote on determinations one through four. From the record we cannot say what significance these forms had for the individual members nor for the entire Board because we are not advised of the internal operating procedure of the Board. That is why we rely on the finding of the entire Board set out in the minutes of the Board rather than these forms which have a significance unknown to us.
The trial court also made special finding of fact No. 6 as follows:
We disagree with that finding of the trial court. Burns' § 53-969 required that together with the five required determinations the Board was to make written findings of fact sufficient to support those determinations. The minutes containing the four determinations of the entire Board contain no such findings to support those determinations. So even *63 if the Board had made the five required determinations they did not make the required written findings of fact.
The Appellees urge that we consider the forms set out above as the required findings of fact of the Board. Obviously those forms contain nearly verbatim repetitions of the statutory determinations which were required to have been made by the Board. According to the statute the required determinations were not themselves the detailed written findings of fact, but the latter were to be in addition to and in support of the required determinations. Those forms cannot function as both the determinations and the supporting written findings of fact. That they were not intended to so function is seen from the fact that the forms were designed to have the supporting findings of fact inserted in the blank after the word "because."
The Appellees call attention to the fact that in 1965, after the Board decision, Burns' § 53-969 was drastically altered, reducing the section from seventy lines to eighteen and the complete section now reads as follows:
The five written determinations required by the pre-1965 statute were retained in almost identical language but many other provisions were deleted, including the requirement of detailed written findings of fact to support the five determinations. This does not mean that the Board may grant a variance merely by making the five statutory requirements in the words of the statute itself. For reasons which exist independently of the statute, the Board is required to set out findings of fact which support those determinations. The major reason for this is to make possible an adequate judicial review of the administrative decision. In Kosciusko County REMC v. The Public Service Commission (1948), 225 Ind. 666, 77 N.E.2d 572, on review of an order of the Commission, this Court said, "These facts should be found specially and not generally. The findings must be specific enough to enable the Court to review intelligently the Commission's decision." 225 Ind. at 674. In the case of Wabash Valley Coach Co. v. Arrow Coach Lines, Inc. (1950), 228 Ind. 609, 94 N.E.2d 753, we said:
Also see Public Service Commission v. Fort Wayne Union Ry. Co. (1953), 232 Ind. 82, 111 N.E.2d 719; Indianapolis and Southern Motor Express, Inc. v. Public Service Commission (1953), 232 Ind. 377, 112 N.E.2d 864. Although these cases deal with orders of the Public Service Commission *65 the principle applies to any case of judicial review of administrative decisions. In Warren v. Indiana Telephone Co. (1940), 217 Ind. 93, 26 N.E.2d 399, we said:
Under Burns' §§ 53-974 through 53-979, a Board of Zoning Appeals' decision on a petition for a variance is subject to judicial review, first in the superior or circuit court in the county in which the board is located, and that court's decision is in turn reviewable in the Appellate Court under Burns' § 53-980. Those statutes state that the review is in order to determine whether or not the board's decision is "legal". The board will not be reversed unless there is a clear showing of abuse of discretion, or a lack of substantial evidence to support the decision, or the board has made an error of law. Nelson v. Board of Zoning Appeals of Indianapolis (1959), 240 Ind. 212, 162 N.E.2d 449; Marion County Board of Zoning Appeals v. Sheffer & Clark, Inc. (1966), 139 Ind. App. 451, 220 N.E.2d 543; Devon Civic League, et al. v. Marion County Board of Zoning Appeals (1967), 140 Ind. App. 519, 224 N.E.2d 66; Kessler-Allisonville *66 Civic League v. Marion County Board of Zoning Appeals (1965), 137 Ind. App. 610, 209 N.E.2d 43. However, the court cannot determine if there was an abuse of discretion or lack of substantial evidence unless the basis of the decision is set out in writing. So under Indiana law, apart from Burns' § 53-969, in order for such judicial review to be done adequately the Board of Zoning Appeals has to set out written findings of fact in support of each of its five statutory determinations.
There are other equally important reasons for requiring those findings of fact and these are concisely stated by Davis, ADMIN. LAW, § 162:
Appellants' third argument is in effect an allegation that there was no substantial evidence to support the Board's decision to grant this variance. We cannot decide this issue because we held above that the Board has not complied with the formal legal requirements for granting a variance. Therefore, we cannot properly review the Board's decision on the merits.
Judgment reversed and the trial court is hereby ordered to render a finding and judgment vacating the decision herein involved of the Board of Zoning Appeals of Indianapolis and is ordered to remand this cause to said Board for further action not inconsistent with this opinion.
All judges concur.
NOTE.  Reported in 245 N.E.2d 337.