Opinion ID: 1921785
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Perfected Appeal.

Text: ¶ 23. The City argues that the appellants failed to perfect an appeal from the January 24, 2006, meeting. The City contends that the appellants only gave notice of an appeal and never perfected the appeal, since they did not submit a bill of exceptions and failed to have the mayor sign the bill of exceptions. However, the record reflects that the appellants filed a notice of appeal and bill of exceptions on February 3, 2006. The notice included a service-of-process form and a receipt-of-service from the City, indicating timely delivery to the mayor. At the hearing, the City acknowledged that the mayor did not sign the bill of exceptions due to a disagreement with the facts presented by the appellants. In Reed v. Adams, 236 Miss. 333, 341, 111 So.2d 222, 225 (1959), this Court addressed the proper procedure for signing a bill of exceptions pursuant to Mississippi Code of 1942 Section 1195, which was the precursor of Mississippi Code Annotated Section 57-7-1. This Court held that if a mayor deemed incorrect the bill of exceptions presented to him, he was under an implied duty to point out wherein he deemed the same incorrect so that the aggrieved parties might have an opportunity to amend the same, and then to sign the same as corrected. Id. at 225. The judge ordered the parties to work out an agreement for the contents of the record, and the record contains a final amended and consolidated bill of exceptions signed by the mayor. This bill of exceptions included the objections to the January 24, 2006, meeting. This issue is without merit.