Opinion ID: 882490
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Dismissing Sourdough's petition for appeal.

Text: Sourdough asserts that it properly appealed under § 76-2-110, MCA. However, this statute deals with planning and zoning issues and cannot be interpreted, as Sourdough urges, to apply to the subdivision issue in the case at bar. Instead, the applicable sections regarding subdivision issues are §§ 76-3-101 et seq., MCA, which is Montana's Subdivision and Platting Act. The purpose of the Act is to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare by regulating the subdivision of land ; ... . Section 76-3-102, MCA (emphasis added). The legislature did not provide an appeal process under this Act for cases involving decisions of conditional approval of preliminary plats; accordingly, this Court, will not fabricate one. The District Court did not err in concluding that § 76-2-110, MCA, is inapplicable in the case at bar. In the same manner, Sourdough asserts that its appeal was proper under § 2-4-702, MCA. Again, Sourdough misapplies this statute to the case at bar. Sections 2-4-701 et seq., MCA, are contained in the Montana Administrative Procedure Act (MAPA) and apply to administrative agencies. However, the County Board of Commissioners is specifically excluded from the agency definition of MAPA via § 2-4-102(2)(b), MCA, which states that an [a]gency does not include a school district, unit of local government, or any other political subdivision of the state. Therefore, the appeal provisions of MAPA do not apply to the case at bar. Since Sourdough cannot properly appeal under § 2-4-702, MCA, the District Court did not abuse its discretion in arriving at that conclusion. Respondents moved to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6), M.R.Civ.P., because Sourdough failed to state a claim upon which relief could be granted. We have previously said that a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6), M.R.Civ.P., should not be granted unless it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff could prove no set of facts in support of his claim which would entitle him to relief. Proto v. Missoula County (1988), 230 Mont. 351, 353, 749 P.2d 1094, 1096; quoting Conley v. Gibson (1957), 355 U.S. 41, 45-46, 78 S.Ct. 99, 102, 2 L.Ed.2d 80, 84. We affirm the conclusion of the District Court that § 76-2-110, MCA, does not contain authorization to Sourdough to prosecute the present appeal, and that § 2-4-702, MCA, does not provide a legal basis upon which Sourdough may prosecute this appeal. We hold the District Court properly granted the respondents' motions to dismiss Sourdough's petition for appeal. In affirming the dismissal by the District Court on the foregoing basis, we do not find it necessary to consider the remaining conclusions of the District Court in which it weighed the conduct of the Board of County Commissioners and concluded that the Board did not abuse its discretion.