Opinion ID: 2353245
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Compliance with the City Council Order Regarding the Conservation Commission

Text: [¶ 24] City Council Order 466, dated May 2, 1994, directed that City-owned land be examined by the Conservation Commission: WHEREAS, the Augusta City Council has indicated on numerous occasions a desire to have the Augusta Conservation Commission examine and make recommendations regarding any and all land owned by the municipality which may be offered for sale, NOW, THEREFORE BE IT ORDERED, That all city owned land be directed to the Conservation Commission for their examination and recommendations. BE IT FURTHER ORDERED, that in the event the City Manager deems it necessary that a certain parcel of property should take precedence that the Conservation Commission be notified to that effect and that said property be brought forward to top of the list for examination and recommendation by the Conservation Commission within ten (10) business days. (Emphasis in original.) [¶ 25] This order did not require the Conservation Commission to examine land and make recommendations on an ongoing basis. Rather, the City Council ordered the Conservation Commission to review a list of the property then owned by the City and make recommendations to the Council, with priority given to any properties identified by the city manager. This order directing the Conservation Commission to take certain actions in 1994 cannot be understood to have the same ongoing effect as a properly adopted municipal ordinance. See 30-A M.R.S. §§ 3001-3012 (2006). [2] The order does not state that it is a standing order, and there is no reason to assume that the order has ongoing effect. Accordingly, the purchase and sale agreement is not rendered void or invalid by the City's failure to obtain recommendations from the Conservation Commission before entering into the conditional purchase and sale agreement.