Opinion ID: 2091272
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Best Interests of the Urbanized Area.

Text: Iowa Code section 368.7 favors annexation by voluntary proceedings by giving them priority: If one or more applications for a voluntary annexation and one or more petitions for an involuntary annexation or incorporation for a common territory are submitted to the board within thirty days of the date the first application or petition was submitted to the board, the board shall approve the application for voluntary annexation, if the application meets the applicable requirements of this chapter, unless the board determines by a preponderance of the evidence that the application was filed in bad faith, or that the application as filed is contrary to the best interests of the citizens of the urbanized area, or that the applicant cannot within a reasonable period of time meet its obligation to provide services to the territory to be annexed sufficient to meet the needs of the territory. Iowa Code § 368.7(4) (emphasis added). Hiawatha contends the annexation must fail under the second enumerated basis: that annexation of the area is contrary to the best interests of the citizens of the urbanized area. Resolution of this issue turns largely on how we interpret urbanized area. The Code defines it as any area of land within two miles of the boundaries of a city. Iowa Code § 368.1(15). This definition, according to Hiawatha, would necessarily include the City of Hiawatha in the urbanized area because it is within two miles of the area to be annexed. According to its argument, the interests of Hiawatha's residents were not given proper consideration in light of the fact the city had spent considerable sums of money to expand its public service capability in anticipation of the city's expansion. We reject this argument because we believe the legislature did not intend to include a city as part of an urbanized area. If we considered a city to be part of the urbanized area, this would in effect allow the annexation of an existing city, a power clearly beyond the scope of chapter 368. Also, to interpret urbanized area to include the area of the city within two miles of its borders would mean that, in a large city, the interior of the city would not be considered urbanized area because it would not be within two miles of the perimeter of the city. An interpretation of urbanized area as urged by Hiawatha would not be a reasonable interpretation. See Iowa Code § 4.4(3). We interpret urbanized area to mean an area of land within two miles of the boundaries of a city, but not including land within the city itself. We reject Hiawatha's arguments that the board erred in not considering the best interests of Hiawatha's residents in applying Iowa Code section 368.7(4) and that the board erred in not finding the proposed annexation was contrary to the best interests of the urbanized area. The board properly applied the statute, and its finding that the annexation was not contrary to the best interests of the urbanized area is supported by substantial evidence.