Opinion ID: 1246543
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: failure of the commission to adopt standards

Text: The proceedings before the commission respecting the Valdez annexation  petition, public hearing and formal approval  all took place in late 1969 and early 1970. The appellees admit that the commission had not, at that time, adopted standards for changing local boundary lines as required by AS 44.19.260. [13] In United States Smelting, Refining & Mining Co. v. Local Boundary Commission, [14] we held that the failure of the commission to adopt such standards before public hearings into an annexation are held, and before it submitted proposals to the legislature, made the annexation voidable upon timely attack. We found the failure to promulgate legislatively-mandated standards before the Nome hearings to be so unreasonable as to undermine the validity of the annexation. The commission acted on the Valdez annexation almost a year after its Nome hearings. The continued failure to have promulgated standards makes the Valdez annexation a fortiori voidable and prima facie illegal. [15] Therefore, the present annexation is null and void unless validated by some overriding doctrine.