Opinion ID: 1918966
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Whether the Chancellor Erred in Modifying Her Original Opinion to Allow the City of Jackson to Annex 220 Business Park.

Text: ¶ 42. After the chancellor issued her first opinion granting the PAA to Ridgeland, Jackson filed a Motion for Reconsideration. In her Order Granting Motion for Reconsideration, the chancellor removed the 220 Business Park from the PAA and awarded the area to Jackson. The chancellor revised her finding as to three indicia of reasonableness (the need to expand, path of growth, and other indicia of reasonableness), holding that the annexation of the business park favored Jackson instead of Ridgeland. The chancellor's revised opinion cites the provision of infrastructure into the 220 Business Park, the existence of transportation routes into the area, the proposed improvements by the City of Jackson along West County Line Road, a comparable development in Lakeover Business Park, and prior services provided by Jackson as a basis for changing her opinion. ¶ 43. As stated above, the fact finder must consider each of the twelve factors and consider them as a whole when determining the reasonableness of an annexation. City of Winona, 879 So.2d at 972-73. Furthermore, [this] Court can only reverse the chancery court's findings as to the reasonableness of an annexation if the chancellor's decision is manifestly wrong and is not supported by substantial and credible evidence. City of Grenada, 876 So.2d at 999. ¶ 44. The chancellor did not provide an analysis in her Order and Supplemental Opinion as to why the same factors, which previously supported an award to Ridgeland, suddenly favored Jackson's request to annex the 220 Business Park. The chancellor simply stated that three factors support Jackson's need to expand, path of growth and other indicia of reasonableness. Moreover, the chancellor's revised opinion wholly failed to consider any of the remaining eight indicia of reasonableness which this Court requires to be considered not in isolation, but rather individually and then collectively. The chancellor's basis for revising her original opinion does not include any new evidence the chancellor did not already receive and consider during the course of the trial. ¶ 45. Finally, the chancellor's supplemental opinion on reconsideration grants areas of land which this Court recently allowed to be deannexed. Worse yet, the opinion splits contiguous tracts of land. One tract, the Cole Road area, would require Ridgeland to travel through the Jackson in order to provide basic services to that area. This very question has already been addressed by this Court, and we did not allow such a split to occur. Extension of Boundaries of City of Biloxi v. City of Biloxi, 361 So.2d 1372, 1374 (Miss.1978). ¶ 46. By failing to consider all twelve indicia, as well as splitting contiguous tracts of land, the chancellor was manifestly wrong in revising her original opinion. The trial court clearly erred when it removed the 220 Business Park from Ridgeland and awarded it to Jackson.