Court Opinion

ID: 9647828
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 13:52:06.426197+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:11:54.042817
License: Public Domain

*399On Motions for Rehearing
Both appellant, the City of Pasadena, and appellee, The State of Texas, have filed a motion for rehearing.
Appellant’s motion as to the merits of the appeal is purely formal in asserting the various respects in which we allegedly erred in our original disposition of the appeal. In this connection it does complain that we did not expressly notice the case of City of Irving v. Dallas County Flood Control District, Tex., 383 S.W.2d 571. We thoroughly studied the case and found nothing in it that -would require a holding different from the one we made on the issues before us.
Appellant did thoroughly brief the question of whether the writer of the original opinion was disqualified. I would only add briefly to what Associate Justice Coleman has thoroughly discussed in his concurring opinion on motion for rehearing on the matter of disqualification.
On original submission, the writer raised the question as to whether he was disqualified because of ownership of 100 shares of stock in Standard Oil (N.J.), which owned all of the stock in Humble Oil & Refining Company, the latter company being one of the relators in the case. Associate Justice Werlein also stated he owned either 100 or 200 shares in Standard Oil (N.J.). We asked for and were furnished briefs on this question. Prior to disposition of the case Associate Justice Werlein had retired and disposition of the case was made by the concurrence of Associate Justice Coleman and the writer. While we did not write on this question, we carefully considered it and came to the conclusion that the writer was not disqualified. The case having fallen to the writer for the writing of the opinion, and he not being disqualified, felt it his responsibility to write the opinion.
When the motions for rehearing were filed, Associate. Justice Peden had become a member of the Court. We on our own motion set the motions for oral argument and oral argument was had. The writer asked his two associates to independently consider the question of his disqualification. They have done so and, as evidenced by Associate Justice Coleman’s concurring opinion, have found him qualified. On independent consideration, the writer concurs in that conclusion. It thus becomes the writer’s duty to participate in the decision and not to dodge responsibility.
Appellee urges that we were in error in holding the trial court erred in granting summary judgment upholding the validity of City of Houston Ordinance 65-1555BR, because there was a fact issue as to whether notice of a hearing had been published as required by Article 970a, Section 6, V.A.T. S.
We incorrectly stated that Article 970a, Section 6, required that the whole of the ordinance (65-1555) giving notice of a city’s intention to annex designated territory and giving notice of the fact and time of hearing before the ordinance of annexation could be introduced must be published. Said Section 6 actually provides that before a city may institute annexation proceedings it shall afford an opportunity for all interested persons to be heard at a public hearing to be held not more than twenty days nor less than ten days prior to the institution of such proceeding. It requires that notice of such hearing shall be published at least once in a newspaper of general circulation in the territory to be annexed not more than twenty days nor less than ten days prior to the hearing. Further it is provided that notice by certified mail should be given any railroad company serving the city and on the city tax rolls where the right-of-way is included in the territory to be annexed.
Pasadena in its answer pled that the annexation ordinances passed by Houston in 1965 were void because no notice of annexation proceedings was given to interested persons and no opportunity for a public hearing was extended to such persons.
*400The State says the attack on the Houston ordinances by Pasadena is collateral and the ordinances being regular on their face it will be presumed that all procedural requirements were complied with and it will be presumed the City of Houston officials performed their duty. The State further states that the stamp on Ordinance 65-1555 showing a publication of the caption shows only that the City Secretary was complying with the City charter which requires only that the caption of all ordinances be published and it cannot, therefore, be reasoned that this was the only publication.
We fail to see this was a collateral attack. The State brought the suit asserting the invalidity of the Pasadena ordinances because they annexed territory that had previously been annexed by the Houston ordinance. It seems to us this directly places in issue the validity of the Houston ordinances and the burden was on the State to establish their validity. It also' gave Pasadena the right to attack the Houston ordinances, which it has done. The cases on collateral attack that are cited by the State are cases to which the State was not a party.
It is true that the Houston City Charter requires the caption only of all ordinances to be published. One inference to be drawn from the stamp on Ordinance 65-1555 is that this only showed compliance with the City Charter. However, this being the only showing with regard to any publication of anything relating to the ordinance, we think the inference could also be drawn that there was no further publication and, therefore, the requisite notice was not published.
This raises a fact issue.
Appellant’s motion for rehearing is overruled.
Appellees’ motion for rehearing is overruled.