Opinion ID: 2615617
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Referral Requirement

Text: Petitioners also assert that the Board did not satisfy the requirements of section 30-28-136, 9 C.R.S. (1999), which requires the referral of proposed plans to various state and local agencies for comment, in that the Board failed to re-submit the subdivision plans for additional comment before granting final approval. We disagree. The statute is clear and unambiguous in its requirement that boards submit proposed plans to designated agencies for comment. The statute does not require, however, that a board solicit updated comments or make its decision within a certain time frame after the comments are received. Once a board has satisfied the requirements of the statute by submitting the proposed plans for comment, a decision whether or not to require additional comments is within the sound discretion of that board. A board must base its decision on the circumstances of the specific request before it, including a determination of whether, because of the passage of time or any other reason, additional comments would be of material assistance. Our review of the Board's exercise of its discretion is limited to a determination of whether the Board abused that discretion. See C.R.C.P. 106(a)(4). In this case, we find no abuse. Turning first to the language of the statute itself, a court's primary task in interpreting a statute is to give effect to the legislative purpose underlying its enactment. See Griffin v. S.W. Devanney & Co., 775 P.2d 555, 559 (Colo.1989). Where the statutory language is clear and unambiguous on its face, there is no need to apply rules of statutory construction because it may be presumed that the legislature meant what it clearly said. See id. at 559; Askew v. Industrial Claim Appeals Office, 927 P.2d 1333, 1337 (Colo.1996). Furthermore, statutory prescriptions or exemptions dealing with conditions of subdivision approval authority such as the instant statute are to be strictly construed. See Board of County Comm'rs v. Bainbridge, 929 P.2d 691, 699 (Colo.1996), as modified on denial of reh'g, (Jan. 13, 1997); Beaver Meadows v. Board of County Comm'rs, 709 P.2d 928, 935 (Colo.1985). Section 30-28-136 is part of a statutory scheme titled County Planning and Building Codes. These codes, taken together, evidence an intent to promote the health, safety, morals, convenience, order, prosperity, [and] welfare of the present and future inhabitants of the state. § 30-28-115(1). The referral requirement permits affected agencies to voice any concerns about how a proposed subdivision may adversely impact these goals and to provide a board with the information necessary to evaluate the ability of the area to support the proposed subdivision. See Shoptaugh v. Board of County Comm'rs, 37 Colo.App. 39, 42-43, 543 P.2d 524, 527-28 (1975) (holding that the Board acted under proper standards of health, safety, and welfare established by subdivision regulations when it disapproved a plat based on fire danger). Section 30-28-136 unambiguously requires that upon receipt of a complete preliminary plan submission, a board shall distribute proposed plans to various affected agencies, including school districts, municipalities, utility companies, the state engineer, and health and environmental departments. The plain language of the statute does not require a board to seek supplemental comments nor is there any language in the statute which sets a time frame in which the Board must act after having received the requested comments. As such, the statute is clear on its face and the Board complied with its requirements. See Griffin, 775 P.2d at 559. Nonetheless, Petitioners argue that the Board abused its discretion by not re-submitting the application to the named agencies for additional comments. In support of their position, Petitioners first point out that the Planning Commission at one point recommended that new comments be sought from the relevant agencies. Second, Petitioners allege that the subdivision plan originally submitted included only thirty-four lots, but the final proposal called for thirty-six lots on a larger parcel of land. Third, Petitioners assert that the passage of eleven years between the referral of the proposed subdivision and the Board's final consideration of the subdivision creates a presumption that circumstances in the county had changed so much that new referrals were required. Before an abuse of discretion review can be undertaken, we must first determine what discretionary power the statute at issue delegates to a board. Section 30-28-136 states that [u]pon receipt of a complete preliminary plan submission, the board of county commissioners or its authorized representative... shall distribute copies of prints of the plan [to specifically identified agencies who] shall make recommendations within twenty-one days after the mailing ... of such plans. Id. (emphasis added). The plain language of this statute places a mandatory, nondiscretionary duty on a county board to refer subdivision plans, leaving no discretion for a board to not refer the plans at all. However, we view this statute as setting a threshold of what a board must do to comply with the statute. Once a board has complied with the clear statutory mandate of section 30-28-136, it retains the discretion to seek supplemental comments if it finds such information is necessary in order to properly evaluate the impact a proposed subdivision will have on the local community. See Shoptaugh, 37 Colo.App. at 42-43, 543 P.2d at 527-28. The rationale for this discretion is that administrative bodies possess experience and specialization that place them at an advantage in making these types of decisions. See State Bd. of Med. Exam'rs v. McCroskey, 880 P.2d 1188, 1195 (Colo.1994) (identifying board's technical and administrative expertise as rationale for recognizing discretion); Colorado Pub. Utils. Comm'n v. Harmon, 951 F.2d 1571, 1579 (10th Cir.1991) (stating that courts should defer to the judgment of an administrative agency regarding topics within the agency area of expertise). Absent such discretion, the intent of the statute would be frustrated, as county boards would be stripped of their ability to request the information they deem necessary to evaluate the impact of a proposed subdivision on their local community. In the present case, the Park County Planning Director [8] complied with the statute by mailing the plans to the various referral agencies in October 1983. However, Leach did not file for approval of the final plat with the Planning Commission until February 1986, and did not appear before the Board seeking final approval until December 1994. The record indicates that the Board considered the issue of whether, pursuant to the statute, updated comments were necessary once Leach sought final approval of the plat. Specifically, at the December 5, 1994 meeting, one commissioner noted that there are some geological studies and some other information from other sources that may not have changed, but the rest of it will have to be resubmitted and brought to the planning commission again. In addition, at the January 4, 1995 meeting before the Board, a number of interested parties raised concerns over the passage of time, including resulting potential changes in water quality and supply, radiation levels, storm drainage, and wildfire concerns. The Board considered and evaluated these concerns through the taking of verbal testimony and updated letters from various agencies and parties. In particular, the Board considered updated letters from: (1) the Division of Wildlife, addressing storm drainage issues and recommending well water testing; (2) the Park County Environmental Health and Preservation Department and the Advisory Board on the Environment, recommending fencing restrictions, well water testing, conservation easements, drainage plans, and ground water testing; (3) the Park County Environmental Health and Preservation Department, regarding sewage disposal; (4) the town of Alma, taking no position on the application; (5) the Colorado Division of Wildlife, addressing concerns relating to deer, elk, and bear populations in the affected area; (6) the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, regarding drinking water testing; (7) the Army Corps of Engineers, addressing wetlands issues; and (8) the Park County Building & Zoning Department, recommending approval of the application. Based on the verbal and written materials submitted on the record, the Board eventually narrowed its concerns to three issues and made its approval contingent upon Leach: (1) preparing a storm drainage report or submitting an opinion from an engineer that such a report was not necessary; (2) drilling three test wells in the subdivision; and (3) testing water samples for standard water requirements. After Leach complied with the above requirements, the Board unanimously approved her application on May 4, 1995. Our review of the record indicates that the Board relied upon its administrative experience and expertise to determine that although requests for updated information from all agencies were unnecessary, some updated information was required in order to make an informed decision to grant Leach's subdivision plat. The Board obtained the information necessary to make an informed decision and evaluated it. Accordingly, we hold that the Board did not abuse its discretion when it chose not to send Leach's application to all agencies a second time pursuant to section 30-28-136, but instead sought any supplemental information it found necessary to reach an informed decision regarding Leach's subdivision proposal.