Court Opinion

ID: 9585493
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 23:01:03.946913+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:48:52.980832
License: Public Domain

Andrews, Judge,
concurring in part and dissenting in part.
I respectfully concur in Divisions 2 through 5. Nonetheless, I dissent from Division 1, in which the majority concludes that plaintiff proved a cause of action against Peevy and Garrett under OCGA § 36-33-4. Peevy and Garrett implemented a broadly-drafted City policy which allowed them to exercise discretion. The opinion states that “these differences in application of the policy demonstrate the problem of unfettered discretion on the part of officials without the benefit of specific written guidelines.” (Majority op., p. 754.)
Although the discretion allowed under the policy may be less than ideal, the fact that the policy allows for discretionary implemen*758tation should not subject Peevy and Garrett to individual liability. OCGA § 36-33-4 provides that “officers of a municipal corporation shall be personally liable to one who sustains special damages as the result of any official act of such officers if done . . . without authority of law.” Here, the officers acted with the authority of law — the law was simply overly broad.
The instant matter is distinguishable from City of Hawkinsville v. Wilson & Wilson, Inc., 231 Ga. 110, 111 (2) (200 SE2d 262) (1973), since the tax ordinance at issue in that case allowed for no discretion. In fact, in Hawkinsville, the court stated that a plaintiff must prove that the officials “acted contrary to a non-discretionary, ministerial duty.” The ordinance in that case fixed the license tax only and the City officials had no authority to impose any conditions other than the payment of a tax. Although the Hawkinsville court stated, in dicta, that a valid licensing ordinance required specificity and uniformity, the allowance of discretion in an ordinance does not necessarily conflict with these requirements.
Because of my conclusion with regard to Division 1, unlike the majority opinion, I must address the substantive merits of Division 6. That division focuses on Ward’s claim in the cross-appeal that the trial court erred in admitting into evidence the City zoning and subdivision ordinance. The resolution of this issue is important, since evidence of the ordinance was necessary in order to determine that Peevy and Garrett acted within the scope of their legal authority.
The court took judicial notice of the Buford City Charter, which provided that all acts and doings of the City Commission shall be recorded on the minutes. Citing Toomey v. Norwood Realty Co., 211 Ga. 814, 816-817 (1) (89 SE2d 265) (1955), Ward argues that the zoning and subdivision ordinance was not recorded on the minutes as required by the charter and therefore it had no force.
This argument lacks merit. The minutes of a July 16, 1985 commission meeting during which the relevant ordinance was adopted were introduced into evidence. Those minutes showed that an ordinance was adopted on that date. Although the minutes do not specifically cite the ordinance, the ordinance itself, which was certified by a City clerk, showed that it was enacted by the City Commission on July 16, 1985. An extra certification attached to the ordinance verified that the Buford Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision was adopted by the Buford City Commission after a public hearing on the 16th day of July 1985. Thus, although the minutes from that meeting itself were somewhat unclear as to which ordinance was adopted, the ordinance itself provided the necessary information and the requirements of the charter were met.
Ward argues that the minutes of the Commission do not sufficiently incorporate by reference the ordinance. “The tests to be ful*759filled to effectively accomplish adoption of documents ... by incorporation by reference ... are these: (1) The document must be sufficiently identified so that there is no uncertainty as to what was adopted. (2) The document must be made a public record. (3) It must be accessible to members of the public who are, or may be affected by it. (4) The adopting resolution must give notice of this accessibility.” (Citations and punctuation omitted.) Reynolds v. Bd. of Commrs. of Paulding County, 180 Ga. App. 516 (349 SE2d 536) (1986). Here, the minutes and ordinance together meet these requirements of incorporation by reference and, contrary to Ward’s arguments, the ordinance was sufficiently identified and made part of the public record. See Friedman v. Goodman, 219 Ga. 152 (3) (b) (132 SE2d 60) (1963); compare City of Flovilla v. McElheney, 246 Ga. 552 (272 SE2d 287) (1980); Foskey v. Kirkland, 221 Ga. 773, 775 (147 SE2d 310) (1966). Accordingly, the ordinance was properly admitted into evidence and Ward’s claim is without merit.
Decided March 17, 1994
Reconsideration denied April 1, 1994
Sullivan, Hall, Booth & Smith, Jack G. Slover, Jr., Jeffrey T. Wise, Drew, Eckl & Farnham, T. Bart Gary, Theodore Freeman, Chandler & Britt, Walt M. Britt, for appellants.
G. Gibson Dean II, for appellee.