Court Opinion

ID: 9714771
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 05:45:16.210678+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:28.438334
License: Public Domain

TEIGEN, Chief Justice,
on petition for rehearing.
The plaintiffs, who are the appellants in a petition for rehearing, argue that several *774points raised by the pleadings and the arguments, which were not decided by this court, are jurisdictional questions which may be reviewed and decided in a certiorari proceeding. Succinctly stated, these points are: (1) that the benefits to be derived from the overpass are general and not special; (2) that the overpass does not abut on the property to be specially assessed; (3) that the overpass is located in a different part of the city than the property to be specially assessed; (4) that the court has held, in effect, that there is no distinction between a general and special improvement of streets; and (5) that there are other properties in the City of Grand Forks which will be benefited but which were omitted from the special improvement district, and which properties are adjacent to the overpass. The points listed above are merely a restatement of arguments which were made in the original presentation to this court and were considered by this court before it issued its opinion.
Rule 16 of the Rules of Practice in the Supreme Court of the State of North Dakota sets forth that a petition for rehearing “must not be a restatement or reargument of matters contained in the brief,” and that such petition must distinctly point out something which has been overlooked in the statutory provisions or the controlling principles of law, or that it was not called to the attention of the court upon the argument or in the briefs. Fish v. France, 71 N.D. 499, 2 N.W.2d 537.
We find nothing new in the petition for rehearing. All of the points enumerated above were covered near the end of the original opinion where we summed up the additional arguments made by the plaintiffs in these words: “It was error to determine that the proposed overpass, when constructed, will specially benefit the property in the special improvement district.” Our reason was supported by the statement that “when the city council is clothed with a valid enactment with the power to decide a question of fact, the exercise of its judgment and discretion in doing so cannot be controlled by the court in a certiorari proceeding.” The issues raised in this petition refer to matters of judgment and discretion of the city council acting within its powers and do not, if proved, establish that it acted in want or in excess of its jurisdiction. Jurisdiction, within the meaning of that term as used in the statute of certiorari, means power and authority to act with respect to any particular subject matter.
“Jurisdiction within the meaning of that term as used in the statute, section 32-3301, N.D.R.C. 1943 means ‘power and authority to act with respect to any particular subject matter.’ ” State ex rel. Dreyer v. Brekke, 75 N.D. 468, 28 N.W. 2d 598.
In our opinion we determined that the city was empowered to construct an overpass as a part of a street and that the construction of an overpass constitutes an improvement of the streets and becomes a part of a municipal street system. We further held that the cost thereof may be defrayed by the special assessment method and that, in doing so, the city may enter into an agreement with the State to share the cost. The error in judgment, if any there be, in exercising its power, does not constitute excess of jurisdiction. State ex rel. Dreyer v. Brekke, supra.
For these reasons, the petition for rehearing is denied.