Court Opinion

ID: 9671960
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 03:46:12.603932+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:16:13.392544
License: Public Domain

Martin, J.
(concurring). While I agree with the majority of the court in holding the ordinance void for the reasons set forth in the opinion filed, I would hold it void also because it fails to set up any standards by which the committee or board is to be guided. The cases applying to junk yards, rendering plants, etc., in which ordinances such as the one in question here have been held valid, are easily distinguished from this case where the ordinance refers to stone quarries.
In Juneau v. Badger Co-operative Oil Co. (1938), 227 Wis. 620, 628, 279 N. W. 666, it was held, quoting from Lux v. Milwaukee Mechanics Ins. Co. (1929), 322 Mo. 342, 346, 15 S. W. (2d) 343, 345:
“The general rule is that any ordinance which attempts to clothe an administrative officer with arbitrary discretion without a definite standard or rule for his guidance, is an unwarranted attempt to delegate legislative functions to such officer and for that reason is unconstitutional. [Hays v. Poplar Bluff, 263 Mo. 516; Ex parte Cavanaugh, 313 Mo. 1. c. 381; City of Shreveport v. Herndon, 105 So. 244, and numerous cases cited; People v. Sholem, 294 Ill. 204, 128 N. E. 377.]. . .
“The exceptions to the general rule are in situations and circumstances where necessity would require the vesting of discretion in the officer charged with the enforcement of an ordinance, as where it would be either impracticable or impossible to fix a definite rule or standard, or where the discretion vested in the officer related to the enforcement of a police regulation requiring prompt exercise of judgment.”