Opinion ID: 1656758
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Deannexation.

Text: ¶ 11. This Court has provided the following standard of review: This Court's standard of review for annexation is very limited. The 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. In re Enlargement and Extension of Mun. Boundaries of City of Madison v. City of Madison, 650 So.2d 490, 494 (Miss.1995). We also stated [w]here there is conflicting, credible evidence, we defer to the findings below. Bassett v. Town of Taylorsville, 542 So.2d 918, 921 (Miss.1989). Findings of fact made in the context of conflicting, credible evidence may not be disturbed unless this Court can say that from all the evidence that such findings are manifestly wrong, given the weight of the evidence. Id. at 921. We only reverse where the Chancery Court has employed erroneous legal standards or where we are left with a firm and definite conviction that a mistake has been made. Id. In Re Extension of Boundaries of City of Hattiesburg, 840 So.2d 69 (Miss.2003). This standard also applies to deannexation cases. See In Re Exclusion of Certain Territory from the City of Jackson, 698 So.2d 490, 492-93 (Miss.1997). ¶ 12. Miss.Code Ann. § 21-1-27 states: The limits and boundaries of existing cities, towns and villages shall remain as now established until altered in the manner hereinafter provided. When any municipality shall desire to enlarge or contract the boundaries thereof by adding thereto adjacent unincorporated territory or excluding therefrom any part of the incorporated territory of such municipality, the governing authorities of such municipality shall pass an ordinance defining with certainty the territory proposed to be included in or excluded from the corporate limits, and also defining the entire boundary as changed. In the event the municipality desires to enlarge such boundaries, such ordinance shall in general terms describe the proposed improvements to be made in the annexed territory, the manner and extent of such improvements, and the approximate time within which such improvements are to be made; such ordinance shall also contain a statement of the municipal or public services which such municipality proposes to render in such annexed territory. In the event the municipality shall desire to contract its boundaries, such ordinance shall contain a statement of the reasons for such contraction and a statement showing whereby the public convenience and necessity would be served thereby. ¶ 13. In the case of In Re Exclusion of Certain Territory from Jackson, 698 So.2d 490, 492 (Miss.1997), this Court affirmed that the same standards would be applied in deannexation cases as in annexation cases: In 1950, the Mississippi Legislature enacted Miss.Code Ann. §§§§ 21-1-45 and 21-1-47 (1990) to provide the statutory method for the annexation or deannexation of territory from a municipality. Neither statute has been amended since enactment. Miss.Code Ann. §§ 21-1-47 clearly states that: ... all of the proceedings of this chapter with regard to proceedings in the chancery court upon petitions for the creation, enlargement, and contraction of municipalities shall apply in like manner thereto.... Id. Therefore, this Court is required to apply the standards set forth for the annexation of territory to a municipality the same to a deannexation case as it would to an annexation case. This Court has addressed deannexation of territory from a municipality on only three occasions. See Marshall v. Mayor and Board of Selectmen of McComb City, 251 Miss. 750, 171 So.2d 347, cert. denied, 382 U.S. 836, 86 S.Ct. 83, 15 L.Ed.2d 79 (1965); Wheat v. Poplarville, 149 Miss. 424, 115 So. 559 (1928); Thomas v. Long Beach, 111 Miss. 329, 71 So. 570 (1916). Marshall addressed a city's attempt to deannex territory which had been annexed by a previous administration. Wheat and Thomas both addressed a situation similar to the action sub judice. In Wheat and Thomas, residents from an annexed territory petitioned to be deannexed from the respective municipalities. In both cases this Court allowed the deannexation. In all three cases, this Court applied what appears to be a forerunner of today's modern twelve part indicia of reasonableness. ¶ 14. These twelve indicia were recently examined by this Court: (1) the municipality's need for expansion, (2) whether the area sought to be annexed is reasonably within a path of growth of the city, (3) the potential health hazards from sewage and waste disposal in the annexed areas, (4) the municipality's financial ability to make the improvements and furnish municipal services promised, (5) the need for zoning and overall planning in the area, (6) the need for municipal services in the area sought to be annexed, (7) whether there are natural barriers between the city and the proposed annexation area, (8) the past performance and time element involved in the city's provision of services to its present residents, (9) the impact (economic or otherwise) of the annexation upon those who live in or own property in the area proposed for annexation, (10) the impact of the annexation upon the voting strength of protected minority groups, (11) whether the property owners and other inhabitants of the areas sought to be annexed have in the past, and in the foreseeable future unless annexed will, because of their reasonable proximity to the corporate limits of the municipality, enjoy the (economic and social) benefits of proximity to the municipality without paying their fair share of taxes, and (12) any other factors that may suggest reasonableness, vel non. In Re Extension of Boundaries of City of Hattiesburg, 840 So.2d 69, 82 (Miss.2003). ¶ 15. In this case the City of Grenada presented evidence on one issue, the inability to obtain preclearance from the USAG as to the 1993 annexation. The City argued that its most reasonable method of dealing with the USAG's continuing objection to the 1993 annexation because of its discriminatory purpose was to remove approximately 1100 white persons from the city limits of Grenada. ¶ 16. The objectors produced evidence on all twelve of the indicia of reasonableness. Their evidence on the first eleven was unopposed. On the twelfth, the objectors argued that the census data from 1997 relied on by the USAG was flawed and the City should have made the USAG aware of this. The objectors argued that the City had included every area of black population in the 1993 annexation that could reasonably served and not place a financial burden on the existing residents of the city, and this should have been emphasized to the USAG. The objectors argued that black population growth was occurring in the proposed deannexation area. The objectors argued that the conclusions of the USAG were incorrect, or based on flawed data, and that the City should have responded to these objections and not with the drastic remedy of deannexation. ¶ 17. As to the first eleven indicia, the chancellor found that the proposed deannexation area was clearly in the path of growth of the City of Grenada. In addition to this growth, the chancellor found that Grenada had made significant investments in the infrastructure of the proposed area. The chancellor found that deannexation would reduce the tax revenues collected by the City without a reduction in costs associated with the provision of municipal services in the proposed area. The chancellor found that the lack of any zoning ordinances, building codes and sewer ordinances would be detrimental to future and existing development in the area. The chancellor found that the City had provided extensive police and fire protection, emergency services and garbage pickup for the area. The chancellor found that a five-year facilities plan, involving road construction, sewerage, street lighting and water lines, had almost been completed in the proposed area. Because of these sewer systems, there was little evidence to indicate potential health hazards in the propose area. The chancellor found that there were no natural or manmade barriers between the City and the proposed area. The chancellor found that commercial and residential development would be greatly inhibited by the deannexation. The chancellor found that persons in the deannexed area would enjoy some benefits of city services without paying their fair share of taxes. ¶ 18. The final indicium is the only one for which the City presented evidence. We include the entirety of the chancellor's finding on this indicium: It is in the basket of this indicia that the City of Grenada has placed all of its eggs. It cannot be reasonably argued that the plan of deannexation would dilute or inhibit the voting strengths of protected minority groups. However, this is but one indicia which the Court must consider. The Court notes with respect to this issue, that after having submitted the 1996 annexation to the Department of Justice for pre-clearance under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, by letter dated August 17, 1998, the Department of Justice declined to grant pre-clearance based on the finding that the annexation and its subsequent redistricting plan had a retrogressive purpose and effect. Some 18 months later, the City resubmitted the annexation ordinance along with a revised seven ward redistricting plan to the Department of Justice for reconsideration under Section 5. The reason for this lengthy delay in responding to the Justice Department's concerns was not clear. However, on March 3, 2000, the Department of Justice again declined to grant Section 5 pre-clearance. Following this denial, the City abandoned their attempts to gain pre-clearance by way of response, and took the position that the only way that the Department of Justice would ever pre-clear their ward plan following the annexation was through deannexation of certain enumeration districts comprised almost wholly of white residents. This, the City argues, would satisfy the Department of Justice by cleansing the retrogressive effect and purpose of the previous annexation. On this fact alone, the Municipality of Grenada argues that the proposed deannexation application is reasonable and in the best interest of all its citizens and further is the only way in which pre-clearance may be had. With this the Court cannot agree. From its March 3, 2000, letter, the office of the United States Attorney General indicates that the proposed redistricting of wards to enhance black voting strength in the post-annexation city remedies the annexation's retrogressive effect, but not its discriminatory purpose. Thus, the need to address the discriminatory purpose of the annexation is all that is now being required by the Department of Justice. There has been no evidence whatsoever presented that the city has addressed this discriminatory purpose to which Justice objects. In order to address this discriminatory purpose, evidence needs to be presented to the Department of Justice that although certain black population concentrations may be found outside the City of Grenada as annexed, their inclusion at this time would be cost prohibitive. Such was the testimony at this trial, but there is no evidence that same was submitted to the Department of Justice for pre-clearance. The lack of evidence with respect to the city's good faith effort to achieve pre-clearance strongly suggests that such an effort never materialized, the city more quickly seeking to racially cleanse the city by the elimination of white residents in an effort to impress the Attorney General and thereby gain pre-clearance. Such is reasonable only in a narrow view and mind. ¶ 19. The City of Grenada cites numerous voting rights cases, such as Perkins v. Matthews, 400 U.S. 379, 91 S.Ct. 431, 27 L.Ed.2d 476 (1971), where the Supreme Court held that changing boundary lines by annexation which enlarge a city's number of eligible voters amounted to a change which required preclearance under the Voting Rights Act. We have no argument with the numerous other cases cited by the City, or the points of law they support, only that none mandate the result the City requests in this appeal. See Miller v. Johnson, 515 U.S. 900, 115 S.Ct. 2475, 132 L.Ed.2d 762 (1995) (Georgia's congressional redistricting plan based on race to satisfy preclearance demands of Justice Department amounted to equal protection violation). ¶ 20. The City then argues that, because this deannexation case is intertwined with a controversy arising under the Voting Rights Act, this factor trumps all others, renders our twelve factor annexation/deannexation analysis irrelevant, and is the only proof that need be submitted to win approval in such a case. The City also argues that the chancery court overlooked the remedial nature of Grenada's deannexation ordinance, failed to apply the presumption of constitutionality accorded a legislative enactment, failed to grant the judicial deference ordinarily afforded to the legislative policies and choices embodied in the deannexation ordinance and failed to defer to the USAG's [United States Attorney General's] § 5 findings. ¶ 21. We disagree. What the chancery court failed to do was consider the voting rights aspect of this case as some kind of super factor which was outcome determinative regardless of the remainder of the evidence. Nothing the City cites requires that this Court amend or eliminate its traditional annexation analysis in such a case. The voting rights aspect of this case was considered, as one factor, in this analysis. The City of Grenada, or any other municipality, may attempt to use deannexation, or any number of other remedies, in an effort to obtain preclearance in the voting rights context. We are not able to foresee, any better than any other person or entity involved in this case, what will convince the Justice Department to rescind its objection to the 1993 annexation. We may only apply established state law on the matter of deannexation absent some factual or legal proposition, or combination thereof, which would mandate otherwise. The mere presence of a voting rights controversy, as the sole impetus for a deannexation request, is not such a factor. The chancellor's finding on deannexation is affirmed. ¶ 22. In addition to its denial of the City of Grenada's request to deannex, the chancery court also ordered the City to immediately, without reasonable delay, supplement its Section 5 pre-clearance submission to the U.S. Department of Justice thereby finally addressing the matters raised by the Attorney General in reference to the retrogressive purpose objection interposed by that office and submit same to the United States Attorney General for pre-clearance under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Further, said submission shall likewise be filed with this Court in this cause through the office of the Grenada County Chancery Clerk for review by this Court to ascertain compliance with these directives. Said submission both to this Court as well as to the office of the Attorney General of the United States shall be filed no later than 45 days from the date of the entry of the decree herein unless same be extended for good cause shown. Failure to comply with the time guidelines and directives herein may subject the offending party to the contempt powers of this Court upon proper application for same. ¶ 23. The City argues that the Objectors did not ask for this relief in their complaint or pleadings; and therefore, the chancery court cannot award it. The City cites Diamond v. Diamond, 403 So.2d 129 (Miss.1981); Miller v. Miller, 512 So.2d 1286 (Miss.1987); and Crowe v. Crowe, 641 So.2d 1100 (Miss.1994), all cases involving whether an award of child support or alimony was proper when not requested by a party in pleadings. The Objectors cite Redmond v. Cooper, 151 Miss. 771, 119 So. 592 (1928), where this Court affirmed a finding by a chancellor that an instrument established certain property boundaries, when the only relief requested was that the instrument in question be cancelled. Where the evidence supported the chancellor's finding, it was affirmed. ¶ 24. This case may be distinguished in that the relief granted here by the chancellor would be improper regardless of the notice provided or clarity of the request by a party. Whether and how to initiate or to continue litigation is a matter of discretion for any governmental body. We have been provided with no statute, constitutional provision or case law whereby a trial judge may order a municipal body (1) to litigate a certain matter (2) in any specified manner. See Hobson v. City of Vicksburg, 848 So.2d 199 (Miss.Ct.App.2003). This portion of the chancery court's decision is reversed and rendered.