Opinion ID: 1386623
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Jefferson Utilities Case

Text: Jefferson Utilities, a privately owned corporation, was formed in 1985 for the purpose of owning and operating a public water system in Jefferson County, West Virginia. Through merger, Jefferson Utilities acquired the public water systems of Walnut Grove Utilities, Inc., and Shenandoah Junction Public Water, Inc. Currently, Jefferson Utilities owns, maintains, and operates a public water system that serves approximately 1,400 customers. Jefferson Utilities is regulated by the West Virginia Public Service Commission and the Bureau for Public Health of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. The framework for land development in Jefferson County is governed by a comprehensive planning and zoning regulatory scheme which includes the Jefferson County Zoning and Development Review Ordinance (the Ordinance). In performing the requisite land evaluation and site assessment (LESA) that is required by the provisions of the Ordinance, [1] Paul Raco, the zoning administrator, determined that Jefferson Utility was not providing water to the public in the same manner as a public utility. The significance of qualifying as a public utility, or as a provider of public water, is that the zoning administrator awards zero points for the LESA scoring element of public water availability where water is supplied by a public utility. Being awarded a low score on this element, as well as the other LESA factors, is crucial to obtaining a favorable LESA score, [2] which is necessary to obtain approval for land development under the Development Review System (DRS) set in place by the Ordinance. Rather than getting the optimal score of zero for the water availability aspect of the LESA score, Jefferson Utilities was routinely being awarded the score of three by the zoning administrator as part of the LESA evaluations. [3] The zoning administrator assessed Jefferson Utilities this score based on his position that Jefferson Utilities is not a public utility or provider of public water because of its private ownership. Mr. Raco took the position that absent governmental ownership, he could not award a score of zero to an entity supplying water to the public. Contending that inconsistent LESA scores were being awarded to various water suppliers, [4] Jefferson Utilities sent a letter dated September 16, 2002, to the zoning administrator, requesting a written determination of section 6.4(f) of the Ordinance, the section which addresses the public water availability component of the LESA score. After receiving a response from Mr. Raco, in which he reasserted his position that a privately-owned water supplier could not come within the meaning of the term public water under the Ordinance, Jefferson Utilities appealed that decision to the Board. Because the Board could not reach a decision by majority vote following a public hearing on this issue, [5] no action was taken in connection with the appeal. [6] Jefferson Utilities filed a petition for writ of certiorari with the circuit court, as permitted by West Virginia Code § 8-24-59 (1969) (Repl.Vol.2003), for review of the Board's decision. Upon its review of this matter, the circuit court issued a ruling on July 9, 2004, through which it undertook to analyze the statutory authority and role of the zoning administrator. After sua sponte concluding that the zoning administrator was a ministerial employee with no discretionary powers for resolving zoning related issues or authority to interpret terms contained in the Ordinance, the circuit court determined that the letter opinion issued by Mr. Raco was not an official act subject to its review because the zoning administrator lacked authority to interpret an Ordinance provision and dismissed the action. Jefferson Utilities appeals from the lower court's dismissal of its writ of certiorari and continues to seek a ruling on the issue of whether it qualifies as a public utility, or more specifically, as a provider of public water within the meaning of the law.