Court Opinion

ID: 9532278
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 04:19:49.256079+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:28:43.344978
License: Public Domain

Mr. JUSTICE BURMAN dissenting: I am unable to agree with the majority because (1) the petitioners, in my opinion, have not shown full compliance with the notice provisions of the annexation statute, (2) the description of the property contained in the Petition is insufficient to locate the property with certitude, (3) the testimony at the hearing of the maker of the affidavit attached to the Petition rebutted its prima facie validity, and (4) the entire property is not contiguous to the Village of South Barrington (hereafter referred to as South Barrington) within the meaning of the statute. The Petition for annexation, which had been circulated by Eugene A. DiMonte, was filed on February 17, 1970. DiMonte, who owned approximately 40 acres of land included in the Petition, contracted to purchase his property in October of 1969 and took title early in 1970. He was aware at that time of the proposal which was pending before the Cook County Zoning Board of Appeals for a planned development of the property adjacent to his land by the Winston Development Corporation (hereafter referred to as Centex-Winston). A petition for annexation must contain the signatures (1) of more than 50% of the owners of record of the property included, (2) of more than 50% of the electors residing in the territory sought to be annexed, and (3) of the owners of more than 50% of the land included in the petition. Sections 7 — 1—2 and 7 — 1—4 of the Illinois Municipal Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, ch. 24, pars. 7 — 1—2 and 7 — 1—4). In order to meet the minimum statutory requirements the petitioners who represent only slightly more than 50% of the ownership interests, put together a gerrymandered, irregular, misshapen, and illogical parcel of land which depends for its purported contiguity upon a corridor with dimensions of 130' (N-S) X 330' (E-W). Slightly less than 50% of the land included in the Petition is owned by the objectors, Centex-Winston and Carl G. Klehm. Centex-Winston owns and has contracted to purchase land which when combined has an area of 432 acres of which approximately 110 acres are included in the proposed annexation. At the time of the hearing, there was pending before the Cook County Zoning Board of Appeals an application for a planned development by Centex-Winston for the entire 432 acres. The effect of the annexation, if completed, would be to prevent affirmative action on the application. Carl G. Klehm owns some 550 acres of which approximately 50 are included in the proposed annexation. Residences on Klehm’s property which face Penny Road, an east-west roadway, are excluded from the proposed annexation, even though further east, land on both sides of the road is included and even though land, south of the residences on Klehm’s land is included. The purpose of this is to exclude potential electors. Klehm testified that the proposed annexation, if completed, would divide his property and would prevent its effective development. Since both Centex-Winston and Klehm own more than 10 acres of land, South Barrington could not have instituted proceedings for annexation by ordinance without the consent of these owners. See: Section 7 — 1—2 of the Illinois Municipal Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, ch. 24, par. 7 — 1—2); In re Petition of the Town of Normal, 5 Ill.App.3d 363, 283 N.E.2d 44. The irregularity in shape of the 18 sided parcel which the petitioners seek to annex is not explained by the geography of the area, nor by man made factors such as roads, nor by the boundary lines of the owners’ properties. The parcel touches the western boundary of South Barring-ton for a distance of 3700 feet; and it can be best described as a series of five rectangles in which as one moves from east to west the north-south dimensions become progressively smaller, and the east-west dimensions become progressively larger. The first of these rectangles measures 3700' (N-S) X 330' (E-W), and the fifth measures 850' (N-S) X 2625' (E-W). Attached to the westernmost boundary of the fifth rectangle is a trapezoid with a north-south dimension of 1375 feet and with parallel east-west dimensions of 500 feet and 1200 feet. The first rectangle extends beyond the northern boundary of South Barrington for 130 feet. Attached to this corridor is the southwest corner of another rectangle with dimensions of 1375' (N-S) X 1625' (E-W). The southern border of this rectangular lot is separated from the northern boundary of South Barrington by a distance which varies between 130 feet and 375 feet. (All dimensions are approximations). The power to annex unincorporated areas into existing municipalities is derived from statute, and in order to annex territory validly all of the statutory provisions must be followed. (Scheuer v. Johns-Manville Products Corp., 330 Ill.App. 250, 70 N.E.2d 876.) The requirements of the statute are mandatory and must be met in order to confer jurisdiction upon the court in annexation proceedings. Crocher v. Abel, 348 Ill. 269, 180 N.E. 852. Section 7 — 1—2 of the Illinois Municipal Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, ch. 24, par. 7 — 1—2), provides in relevant part with reference to notice: “The petitioners or corporate authorities, as the case may be, shall give notice of the annexation petition or ordinance, as the case may be, not more than 30 nor less than 15 days before the date fixed for the hearing. * * * This notice shall be given by publishing a notice thereof at least once in one or more newspapers published in the annexing municipality, or, if no newspaper is published therein, then in one or more newspapers with a general circulation within the annexing municipality and territory. A copy of this notice shall be filed with the clerk of the annexing municipality.” (Emphasis added.) The record shows that no evidence of filing a copy of the published notice with the Clerk of South Barrington was introduced at trial, and that the proofs were never reopened for the purpose of remedying this deficiency. The failure to prove that such notice was given in the manner required by the statute renders the entire proceedings invalid. In People ex rel. Hopf v. Village of Bensenville, 132 Ill.App.2d 907, 272 N.E.2d 50, the Appellate Court held an annexation invalid where notice of the proposed annexation was not given as required by Section 7 — 1—1 of the Illinois Municipal Code. Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, Ch. 24, par. 7 — 1—1. Proceedings for the annexation of unincorporated land into an existing municipality may be initiated in two ways, either by the filing of a petition by property owners in the unincorporated territory or by the passage of an ordinance in the annexing municipality. (Section 7 — 1—2 of the Illinois Municipal Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, Ch. 24, par. 7 — 1—2).) Under both methods notice of the proceedings must be published and a copy of the published notice must be filed with the clerk of the annexing municipality. The filing of a copy of the published notice not only informs the municipality of the proceeding, but also provides a readily accessible location for interested parties to learn the details of the proposed annexation. It is to achieve this second goal that notice is required in annexation proceedings initiated by ordinance as well as in proceedings initiated by petition. The requirement for filing a copy of the published notice of annexation proceedings with the clerk in the annering municipality is an integral part of the provision for notice, and it is mandatory. Section 7 — 1—2 of the Illinois Municipal Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, Ch. 24, par. 7 — 1—2), also provides that notice shall be given by publication in a newspaper published in the annexing municipality or “if no newspaper is published therein, then in one or more newspapers with a general circulation within the annexing municipality and territory.” The Petition alleged that there was no newspaper published in South Barrington, but that the Barrington Courier Review had a general circulation within South Barrington and the territory proposed to be annexed. The Petition was supported by an affidavit of Eugene A. DiMonte which stated that the allegations of the petition were true. Paragraph 17 of the objections filed by Centex-Winston stated, “That the notice of annexation petition was not given in the manner required by law.” Once the issue of notice was raised by the objectors, it became incumbent upon the petitioners to prove by competent evidence that the notice was properly given. No evidence was introduced to show that no newspaper was published in South Barrington or that the Barrington Courier Review had a general circulation in the village or the territory proposed to be annexed. A Petition for annexation when accompanied by an affidavit is taken as prima facie evidence of certain facts relating to the signatories, but otherwise the petition is not evidence. (McKeown v. Moore, 303 Ill. 448, 135 N.E. 747.) The failure of the petitioners to prove the giving of the required notice renders all subsequent proceedings invalid. According to Section 7 — 1—4 of the Illinois Municipal Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, Ch. 24, par. 7 — 1—4), “If the court finds * * * (3) that the description is materially defective; * * * the court shall dismiss the petition or ordinance, as the case may be.” The testimony of Carl Ritzel, a licensed land surveyor, indicates that the legal description contained in the Petition is not complete. This uncertainty cannot be cured by extrinsic evidence. (Weber v. Adler, 311 Ill. 547, 143 N.E. 95; Rampke v. Beuhler, 203 Ill. 384, 67 N.E. 796.) The westernmost boundary of the parcel sought to be annexed is designated as the “Easterly Right of Way line of the Elgin, Joliet, and Eastern Railway,” and it is impossible from the legal description in the Petition to locate accurately the railroad right of way. Moreover, those portions of the roadways sought to be included were not properly described. It therefore follows that the Petition should have been dismissed because the description was materially defective. See: People v. Astle, 337 Ill. 253, 169 N.E. 185. According to Section 7 — 1—4 of the Illinois Municipal Code (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1969, Ch. 24, par. 7 — 1—4), a petition for annexation supported by an affidavit is prima facie evidence “that the signatures on the petition represent a majority of the property owners of record and the owners of record of more than 50% of land in the territory described and a majority of the electors of the territory therein described.” The prima, facie validity of the petition may be rebutted either by evidence that the affiant did not possess sufficient information with which to verify the allegations in the petition or by evidence that the allegations in the petition are inaccurate. Eugene A. DiMonte made an affidavit in support of the Petition in which he stated that the allegations of the Petition were true. The cross-examination of DiMonte at the hearing indicated that he did not have knowledge of the essential facts on which his affidavit was based. He did not know the total area involved and accordingly could not know that the signatories represented the owners of record of more than 50% of the land in the territory described. He did not know whether William and Ann Emerson or Alexander Stillman were listed as registered voters and consequently could not know whether they were electors. DiMonte, by his testimony on cross-examination demonstrated that he had no knowledge of the facts set forth in the affidavit, and consequently the prima facie evidence established by the verified Petition was rebutted. There being no other evidence of the facts alleged in the Petition other than the Petition itself and the affidavit, the Petition should have been dismissed. The property sought to be annexed has a common boundary with the western border of South Barrington which extends for 3700 feet. This constitutes a touching in a reasonably substantial physical sense for that portion of the parcel lying west of South Barrington; however, a portion of the tract owned by DiMonte, is north of the village and connected only by a corridor with dimensions of 130 feet (N-S) by 330 feet (E-W). The southern border of the parcel connected by the corridor is separated from the northern boundary of South Barrington by a distance which varies between 130 feet and 375 feet. This 1300 foot strip between the DiMontes’ property and the village and excluded from the proposed annexation constitutes a barrier which functionally separates the two. The DiMontes’ property isolates this strip and is not contiguous to South Barrington since it does not touch the village in a reasonably substantial physical sense. See: People v. Village of Streamwood, 15 Ill.2d 595, 155 N.E.2d 635. The effect of the annexation, if completed, would be to impede the development of two large parcels of land. The petitioners having failed to follow the requirements of the statute, the order of the Circuit Court should be reversed.