Opinion ID: 1727196
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Creation of the District

Text: On May 17, 1966, Senate Bill No. 2251 was approved by the Governor. It has been published as Chapter 831, Local and Private Laws of Mississippi, Regular Session, 1966. This enactment set forth a scheme for the incorporation of water, sewer, gas, utility and fire protection districts in Jackson County, Mississippi. No other county is covered. At the time there was no general law providing a statewide scheme for the creation of such utility districts. On May 23, 1972, however, such a general law, designated Senate Bill No. 2010, became law. This enactment was originally published as Chapter 536, General Laws of Mississippi, Regular Session, 1972. It has been codified as Miss. Code Ann. §§ 19-5-151 et seq. (Supp. 1984). The act has been amended in respects not important here. A comparison of the local and private law of 1966 with the general law of 1972 reveals substantial similarities. Those similarities are sufficient to generate a speculation that the statewide act was modeled upon the then six year old Jackson County local and private act, although nothing turns on the point. For reasons not explained by any utterance of the legislature, the general law did not purport to affect the local and private law. Evidence that the legislature regarded the local and private law as of continuing viability was supplied by the enactment on May 26, 1980, of House Bill No. 1286 which amended the 1966 act by providing, inter alia, that the maximum rate of interest authorized for payment on bonds issued by the utility district would be increased from six to ten percent per annum. See Chapter 949, Local and Private Laws of Mississippi, Regular Session, 1980. This bond interest ceiling was further increased in 1982 to 14 percent by House Bill No. 1127. See Chapter 844, Local and Private Laws of Mississippi, Regular Session, 1982. At the time of the enactment of the general law enabling the creation of utility districts  May 23, 1972  the Gautier Utility District had not been organized. That step was not begun until April 12, 1973  some ten and a half months later. On that date, the law on its face made available to Gautier two alternatives  that provided in the local and private law of 1966 and that provided in the general law of 1972. On April 12, 1973, at a recessed regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Jackson County, Mississippi (the Supervisors), petitions for the incorporation of the Gautier Utility District were filed by more than twenty-five (25) owners of real property residing within the boundaries of the proposed district. The petitions were presented under the authority of and in conformance with the 1966 local and private act. Upon receipt of the petitions, the Supervisors issued an order setting a public hearing on the question of whether organization of such a district were required by the public convenience and necessity, and further directing the publication of notice that the public hearing would be held. Following the hearing, the Supervisors, on June 4, 1973, adopted a Resolution Finding and Determining that the Public Necessity and Convenience Requires the Creation of the Gautier Utility District of Jackson County, Mississippi. A copy of the resolution was published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county on June 7, 14, 21, and 28, 1973. On July 3, 1973, at a recessed regular meeting, the Supervisors adopted a resolution creating the District as a combined water and sewer utility and fire protection district within Jackson County pursuant to the 1966 local and private act. The resolution noted that no protest or objection was filed with the Supervisors and that no party had appeared in opposition to the creation of the District. Section 1(f) of the 1966 local and private act provides any party aggrieved or prejudiced by the action of the Supervisors could appeal to the Circuit Court, and if no appeal be taken within 15 days after the adoption of the resolution creating the District, the creation of such district shall be final and conclusive, and shall not thereafter be subject to attack in any court. No such appeal was taken. On July 18, 1973, by resolution of the Supervisors, three Commissioners were appointed to the District and directed to organize in the manner prescribed by the Act.