Opinion ID: 1223834
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Authority To Continue Consideration

Text: The statute governing the adoption of planning recommendations by a board of county commissioners is WYO. STAT. § 18-5-202(c) (1997) which provides (emphasis added): The planning and zoning commission shall prepare recommendations to effectuate the planning and zoning purposes and certify its recommendations to the board of county commissioners. Before adopting the recommendations the board shall hold at least one (1) public hearing. Notice of the time and place of hearing shall be given by one (1) publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the county at least fourteen (14) days before the date of the hearing. After public hearing has been held, the board shall vote upon the adoption of the planning or zoning recommendation. No planning or zoning recommendation shall be adopted unless a majority of the board votes in favor thereof. The Teton County Comprehensive Plan in effect at the time the tie vote was taken states (emphasis added): b. SECOND: After the preapplication conference a CONCEPT PLAN shall be required. The Planning Commission shall review the concept plan and its supporting materials. Withing thirty days the Commission shall recommend approval to the Board of County Commissioners, recommend disapproval, or table the request for additional information, different design solutions, or different categories of uses. The Board of County Commissioners, considering the recommendation of the Planning Commission, shall review the application and approve, disapprove, or table the proposal for specific additional information or solutions. Conditions of approval may be attached by either the Planning Commission or the Board of County Commissioners. Homeowners contend that, under the statute, the tie vote could not result in the required majority, and the concept plan was disapproved. They further contend that the Board's decision to continue the meeting and vote again was an attempt to table the motion which was ineffective because the tie vote was a disapproval and must stand as a final decision. In their view, the Board lacked the authority to vote again. Trustee contends that nothing in the statute or the regulation prevents the Board from voting again during the same session. He characterizes the meeting held a week later as the same session because it was continued and presents several decisions by other jurisdictions stating that a session can occur on several different days. Plainly, neither the statute nor the regulation speak to the effect of either a tie vote or multiple votes in the same session. In the absence of a contrary provision, the Board's deliberations are to be governed by generally accepted rules of parliamentary procedure, and we, therefore, accept homeowners' contention that common law or parliamentary law regards a tie vote on an affirmative resolution or action as a rejection. Lecht v. Stewart, 483 A.2d 1079, 1081 (R.I. 1984) (citing Felice v. Swezey, 278 A.D. 958, 105 N.Y.S.2d 486, 488-89 (1951)); 59 AM. JUR.2D Parliamentary Law §§ 3, 14 (1987). Trustee contends that even if we accept that the tie vote was a rejection, parliamentary law allows a deliberating body the right, during its session, to reconsider its proceedings. Byron v. Timberlane Regional School Dist., 113 N.H. 449, 309 A.2d 218 (1973), states that unless otherwise provided by law all public bodies have the right during any particular session to reconsider such action taken by them as they believe is proper and that it is only the final result that should be regarded as the thing done. Id. at 221; 59 AM.JUR.2D Parliamentary Law, § 15 (1987). This is true even when a final resolution has been passed. Board of Cty. Comm'rs of Sarasota County v. Webber, 658 So.2d 1069, 1071-72 (Fla.App. 2 Dist.1995). A public board may reconsider its decisions in the same session, even if the session occurs on several different days. Toffolon v. Zoning Board of Appeals of the Town of Plainville, 155 Conn. 558, 236 A.2d 96, 99 (1967). A session is a meeting which, though it may last for days, is virtually one meeting. Roberts Rules of Order (Revised) § 8 at 83 (Revised 1990). [1] In Toffolon, a zoning board met on the same matter on three different days, weeks apart. Toffolon, 236 A.2d at 99. The court held it constituted but one continuing session because at the end of the first two meetings, the board did not adjourn, did not announce its initial decision, and no rights of third parties intervened. Id. At the end of the first two sessions the board merely recessed until the next meeting for further deliberations on the same matter. Id. When they recessed, the board members were aware that no final decision had been reached . . . and that there would be further deliberations on that matter. Id. According to the court, [t]he rule in such situations is that, unless some right of a third person intervenes, all deliberative bodies have a right to reconsider their proceedings during a session as often as they think proper, when not otherwise provided by law, and it is the final result only which is to be regarded as the thing done.    The several votes were but steps taken toward a single, final decision. Id., 236 A.2d at 99-100 (citations omitted). In Appel v. State ex rel. Shutter-Cottrell, 9 Wyo. 187, 61 P. 1015 (Wyo.1900), an attorney presented a claim for payment which was rejected by the board of county commissioners. In a later meeting, the board reconsidered and approved the payment. In an action for mandamus to order the chairman to pay the bill, the court considered whether the board had the power to reconsider its action and approve payment having once rejected relator's claim. Appel, 9 Wyo. at 203, 61 P. at 1019. We held that it is settled that at any time before the rights of third persons have become vested which would be interfered with by a reconsideration, a corporate board may, if not inconsistent with its charter or the law creating and governing it, and its rules of action, reconsider and rescind previous votes and orders. Id. Appel 's ruling precisely states parliamentary law. Homeowners list three of our later decisions which hold that a political subdivision does not have the inherent authority to reconsider final decisions and the power to reconsider must be granted by the state: Jackson Paint & Glass, Inc., v. Town of Jackson Bd. of Adjustment, 811 P.2d 293, 295 (Wyo.1991); Rosenberger v. City of Casper Bd. of Adjustment, 765 P.2d 367, 369 (Wyo.1988); Hupp v. Employment Security Comm'n, 715 P.2d 223, 225 (Wyo.1986). Homeowners assert that this situation is not any different and must be decided the same. Involved in those decisions was the issue of whether an agency could grant rehearing of a final decision without express statutory authority. Jackson clarified that, generally, an agency's enabling statute provides the authority to adopt rules allowing rehearing and express statutory authority is not necessary. Jackson, 811 P.2d at 295. We agree with Trustee that, in this case, because the Board chose to continue its meeting and did not adjourn, the session continued and the rejection of the proposal by a tie vote was not a final decision. The rule stated in Jackson, therefore, does not answer the precise issue in this case. After the tie vote, the board decided to continue the April 26 meeting until May 2 for further deliberations on the concept plan because of a lack of time, to further consider conditions, and to seek a majority vote. On May 2, the record shows that the Board considered the meeting to be a continuation and acted accordingly. At that meeting, the conditions imposed were revised, and the concept plan then received approval by a unanimous vote. The precise issue presented then is whether the Board can reconsider an action in the same session. Our rule in Appel remains applicable. The Board can reconsider an action in the same session unless statute or its own regulations say otherwise. The decision of the district court is affirmed.