In re Petition to Annex Certain Territory to the Village of Lemont, Illinois
In re Petition to Annex Certain Territory to the Village of Lemont, Illinois
Opinion
*46 ¶ 1 This appeal involves a dispute between two villages about the annexation of unincorporated territory. Opposing annexation into the village of Lemont are several privately owned golf courses along with the Village of Palos Park, and supporting annexation into Lemont are some residential landowners along with the Village of Lemont. The trial court ultimately granted summary judgment to the golf courses and Palos Park, concluding the golf courses had annexation priority because they had not abandoned their earlier-filed annexation petitions. This then legitimized the annexation of their unincorporated territory to Palos Park. The residential landowners and Lemont now appeal, contending the trial court's summary judgment ruling was erroneous. They also contend the court abused its discretion in denying their motion for a substitution of judge and their motion to extend discovery back before 2015. For the reasons to follow, we affirm.
¶ 2 BACKGROUND
¶ 3 Several years ago, a wide swath of unincorporated territory in Cook County lay sandwiched between Palos Park and the Village of Lemont. As stated, a dispute arose about whether that territory should have been annexed to Palos Park or the Village of Lemont. In 2015, the golf courses of Gleneagles Country Club, Inc. (Gleneagles), Mid-Iron Club, Inc. (Mid-Iron), 1 and Cog Hill 2 sought to annex their property to Palos Park, with their respective petitions filed in April, February, and March of 2015. The golf courses, together with Ludwig Farms, 3 which filed its petition in 2014, all occupied almost 1,500 acres of the unincorporated territory. The voluntary annexation petitions fell under section 7-1-8 of the Illinois Municipal Code ( 65 ILCS 5/7-1-8 (West 2014) ), which permits the annexation of unincorporated territory to a municipality, provided it is contiguous to that municipality at the time of annexation. Section 7-1-8 states that "[t]he corporate authorities of the municipality to which annexation is sought shall then consider the question of the annexation of the described territory," and a majority vote is required for annexation. Id.
¶ 4 While the 2015 voluntary petitions were pending, the Cook County Forest Preserve and Palos Park meanwhile had entered into an intergovernmental annexation agreement, wherein Palos Park annexed about 190 acres of forest preserve. There was a public meeting in October to discuss the annexation. Palos Park and Lemont public officials, including the mayors, were present. The forest preserve annexation to Palos Park subsequently became final on December 14, 2015, following a public hearing. According to the Palos *47 Park attorney, the forest preserve annexation created actual contiguity between Palos Park and Mid-Iron Golf Club, thus teeing up the annexation of Mid-Iron Golf Club. With a domino-like effect, this then created contiguity to annex Gleneagles, then Cog Hill, and then Ludwig Farms, all to Palos Park. The owner of Gleneagles also attested that the Village of Lemont had positioned itself against the golf courses' annexation due to lack of contiguity, and the annexation of the forest preserve was meant to resolve that matter.
¶ 5 In challenging these annexation efforts, on December 11, 2015, some 14 residential landowners, 4 occupying a small percentage of the unincorporated territory, filed what all parties agree is considered a "forcible" or "involuntary" annexation petition under section 7-1-2 of the Municipal Code ( 65 ILCS 5/7-1-2 (West 2014) ). They claimed a portion of the Gleneagles property should instead be annexed to Lemont and requested a hearing. The residential landowners sought to have about 117 acres annexed to Lemont. Those residential landowners' property consisted of 7 acres, all of which was, to use golf terminology, out of bounds from the 110-acre golf course. The Village of Lemont later intervened in this case, joining the residential landowners and admitting that Lemont's future planned growth had included Gleneagles and Cog Hill. It is claimed that a valid involuntary petition would have threatened the contiguity that the other golf courses and the farm had with Palos Park, and thus the involuntary petition was a means of thwarting the voluntary annexation petitions.
¶ 6 On December 31, 2015, Palos Park objected (see 65 ILCS 5/7-1-3 (West 2014) ), noting that the golf courses and Ludwig Farms had already filed voluntary petitions and they were "actively working with Palos Park to complete the annexations" to Palos Park. Palos Park noted that permitting the annexation of the residential landowners' property would lead to the anomalous result of having Gleneagles golf course municipally split in half, with a portion joining Palos Park (or remaining unincorporated) and a portion joining Lemont. Palos Park argued, for example, that Gleneagles' voluntary section 7-1-8 petition had priority over that filed by the residential landowners and that the residential landowners failed to give proper notice of their petition. Palos Park requested that the court dismiss the petition, and Cog Hill, Gleneagles, and Mid-Iron joined in the objection.
¶ 7 Pursuant to the landowners' request, on January 7, 2016, the section 7-1-2 hearing was held with the parties present to discuss the December 11 involuntary annexation petition. As discussed in further depth below, Palos Park and the golf courses (collectively, Objectors) requested a continuance based on Palos Park's anticipated adoption of annexation ordinances which was to occur several days later on January 15. The court granted the requested continuance for January 20 over the objection of the landowners (collectively with Lemont, Petitioners).
¶ 8 On January 11, the Petitioners filed a motion for a substitution of judge under section 21001(a)(2) of the Code of Civil Procedure ( 735 ILCS 5/2-1001(a)(2) (West 2014)), which was denied.
¶ 9 On January 15, 2016, Palos Park adopted an annexation ordinance for Mid-Iron and Gleneagles. A month later on February 8, 2016, Palos Park adopted an annexation ordinance for Cog Hill and Ludwig Farms. Although the Objectors had been negotiating a memorandum of *48 agreement for a number of months regarding the water and sewer services of their property, prior to the ordinances going into effect, the golf courses and Ludwig Farms notified Palos Park's attorney that they were waiving the need for an annexation agreement as a precondition to the annexation.
¶ 10 The matter proceeded with the parties engaging in discovery. The court granted the Objectors a protective order to limit discovery from January 1, 2015, forward. Objectors then filed a motion for summary judgment, which the court granted, holding the Objectors' earlier-filed 2015 voluntary petitions had priority over the Petitioners' involuntary petition. Petitioners now appeal from that judgment.
¶ 11 ANALYSIS
¶ 12 Petitioners first contend the trial court erred in denying their motion for substitution of judge. Under section 2-1001(a)(2) of the Code of Civil Procedure (
id.
), a litigant is allowed one substitution of judge without cause, and section 2-1001(a)(2) should be read as favoring substitution.
Bowman v. Ottney
,
¶ 13 To preclude "judge shopping," a motion for substitution of judge as of right must be filed at the earliest practical moment before commencement of trial or hearing and also before the judge rules upon any "substantial issue" in the case.
Chapman
,
¶ 14 Under our
de novo
review, we conclude the trial court did not err in denying the substitution motion because there was a hearing, a substantive ruling, and opportunity for the Petitioners to "test the waters." See
In re Estate of Hoellen
,
¶ 15 Palos Park, however, informed the court that the annexation of both Gleneagles and Mid-Iron was to take place in Palos Park on January 15, 2016, which arguably would render the Petitioners' section 7-1-2 petition moot (counsel argued a precondition for such a petition was that the property sought to be forcibly annexed not be incorporated into a municipality already). The court noted that the Palos Park pleading, which included the voluntary petitions, "was extremely helpful" and counsel had described the "highlights" of the pleading. Palos Park argued against the Petitioners' actions of filing the involuntary petition, stating "[t]his is really nothing more than a tactic to interrupt the voluntary petition which has priority." Palos Park argued that there should be a status hearing following the annexation and it could then file a motion to dismiss. The attorneys representing Mid-Iron, Gleneagles, and Cog Hill essentially agreed with Palos Park, adding that the parties could present the court with certified copies of the Palos Park annexation ordinances and then "decide what they want to do." Counsel for the Petitioners acknowledged, "[i]t just sounds like we just heard oral argument after a bunch of testimony" and asserted that the matter needed to be further briefed, but then counsel argued the Objectors' inaction on previously filed annexation petitions had rendered the Gleneagles 2015 petition ineffective and further that Petitioners' notice was sufficient under the directory section 7-1-2 statute.
¶ 16 Over the Petitioners' objection, the court granted the Objectors' request to meet shortly after the annexation ordinances were to pass in Palos Park, and the court set a hearing date on January 20, thereby rejecting the Petitioners' argument that the court could "still move forward" on their involuntary annexation petition. This was an implicit if not explicit substantive ruling in favor of the Objectors. In granting the Objectors' request, the future of the Petitioners' petition was thrown into question, making their motion for a substitution of judge untimely and tantamount to judge shopping. See
Hoellen
,
¶ 17 The Petitioners next challenge the summary judgment granted in favor of the Objectors. Summary judgment is appropriate where the pleadings, depositions, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, demonstrate there is
*50
no genuine issue as to any material fact so that the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. 735 ILCS 5/2-1005 (West 2014) ;
Ioerger v. Halverson Construction Co.
,
¶ 18 The Petitioners first contend that Gleneagles' and Mid-Iron's voluntary petitions
5
do not have priority over the later-filed involuntary petition because there is no evidence the Palos Park village clerk received them, as required. See 65 ILCS 5/7-1-8 (West 2014). We agree with Objectors that this is a spurious claim. A document is considered filed when it is deposited with and passes into the exclusive control and custody of the clerk, who understandingly receives the same in order that it may become a part of the permanent records of his office.
Gietl v. Commissioners of Drainage District No. One
,
¶ 19 The Petitioners also contend the trial court erred in ruling that the 2015 voluntary annexation petitions had priority over the later-filed involuntary petition and thus were not abandoned by the Objectors. A proceeding for annexation itself involves an incorporation of the previously unincorporated territory.
City of Countryside v. Village of La Grange
,
¶ 20 The general rule governing conflicting petitions to annex or incorporate the same tract of land is that the first to initiate an annexation petition is entitled to priority over the property against all other parties initiating a proceeding at a later date.
In re Petition for Submittal of the Question of Annexation to the Corporate Authorities of the City of Joliet
,
¶ 21 Here, the Objectors engaged in sustained and consistent action to advance the 2015 voluntary petitions. This is supported by the affidavits and evidence regarding activities between January 2015 and spring 2016, attached to the Objectors' summary judgment motion. For example, Palos Park manager Richard Boehm attested that he had coordinated and handled documents needed to establish contiguity and municipal services to the annexed parties. He had met with the village mayor and other municipal employees to advance the process and handled the forest preserve annexation. Palos Park attorney Thomas Bayer attested that he had worked with the Palos Park mayor, village manager, village council and staff on the annexation. He negotiated documents needed to annex the property, aided in establishing contiguity between Palos Park and the property to be annexed, and also reviewed various documents. He attached his billing report for which he was paid by Palos Park. Cog Hill's civil engineer Mary Catherine McBride attested that she had worked with the village engineer, village attorney, and ComEd on annexation and utility connections with Palos Park. William Hennessey, the attorney for Gleneagles, Cog Hill, and Ludwig *52 Farms, attested that he represented the parties in extensive annexation negotiations, including drafting the memorandum of agreement between the golf courses, Ludwig Farms, and Palos Park for water and sewer services and attending a June 2015 meeting at which the Palos Park village mayor, manager, engineer, and attorney were present, among others. As of August 2015, he had sent a revised memorandum of agreement to a number of the parties involved in annexation efforts, including Palos Park's mayor. Gleneagles' president William McNulty attested that he had actively negotiated with Palos Park representatives to annex the various golf courses and farm to Palos Park and participated in the June 2015 meeting with various parties, including the village mayor, administrator, engineer, and attorney.
¶ 22 In short, the documents and affidavits show that throughout 2015, there were numerous meetings and extended coordination among various parties to determine detailed plans as to electricity, sanitary sewer engineering, water main extension, easements, zoning, and the fiscal impact of annexing the properties. In addition, the Gleneagles annexation was preceded by negotiations between Palos Park and the forest preserve district to annex the forest preserve property. This annexation facilitated the Objectors' annexations because it conclusively provided contiguity, as required by section 7-1-8, to the Objectors' properties.
6
The Petitioners do not necessarily dispute the facts that the Objectors rely on for summary judgment, and reasonable people could not draw different inferences from those facts showing sustained activity by the Objectors. This justifies summary judgment in favor of the Objectors. See
Adams
,
¶ 23 Relying on the seminal case,
People ex rel. Village of Worth v. Ihde
,
¶ 24 Contrary to Petitioners' argument, Worth does not stand for the proposition that prompt action by the corporate authorities following the filing of an annexation petition is required . What matters is some action on the part of the corporate authorities or a showing that the corporate action was delayed. Here, as previously elucidated, we have both. The record makes clear that the corporate authorities, mainly Palos Park's mayor, and Palos Park's executive/corporate employees, including its village manager and attorney, were aware of the golf courses' 2015 annexation petitions, and they took action throughout 2015 toward formally approving the annexation petitions. The delay was due to coordination among the various parties for provision of such things as sewer and water service, which the Objectors desired to have encapsulated in a formal agreement before annexation. Moreover, the record shows that Lemont knew about these activities, thus calling into question their involuntary petition under Worth . Additionally, the Palos Park corporate authorities did indeed pass the annexation ordinances within a two-month period following the Petitioners' December 2015 involuntary annexation petition, unlike in Worth where Chicago Ridge sat on the annexation petition for more than 4 months after the contrary petition was filed.
¶ 25 Cases decided since
Worth
also support our interpretation. In
People ex rel. Village of Long Grove
,
¶ 26 In light of our holding, we likewise reject Petitioners' argument that *54 the trial court abused its discretion in limiting discovery to "January 1, 2015, and forward." Petitioners now argue this date is "completely arbitrary." They note that Gleneagles filed petitions to annex its property to Palos Park in November 2009, June 2011, and April 2015. They argue information on the prior petitions was relevant to demonstrate that the Objectors exhibited actions "designed to frustrate the natural growth and progression of Lemont, and to cut off certain unincorporated territories in the Village of Lemont's planning jurisdiction." They also argue information could support an argument for abandonment by the Objectors.
¶ 27 The trial court is given great latitude in determining the scope of discovery because the range of relevance and materiality for discovery purposes includes not only what is admissible at trial but also that which leads to what is admissible at trial.
The
Y-Not Project, Ltd. v. Fox Waterway Agency
,
¶ 28 CONCLUSION
¶ 29 Based on the foregoing, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.
¶ 30 Affirmed.
Presiding Justice Cobbs and Justice Howse concurred in the judgment and opinion.
John B. Murphey, the attorney who represents Mid-Iron and Gleneagles, filed an appearance in this appeal only on behalf of Gleneagles.
Cog Hill golf course comprises Cook Golf Properties, Inc., and Pine Meadow Golf Club, Inc.
Ludwig Farms is not a party to this appeal.
The petition also identifies them as 19 registered voters.
Petitioners do not develop an argument about why we should consider when the golf courses, other than Gleneagles, filed their petitions with the clerk's office. They point to deposition testimony regarding both Gleneagles and Mid-Iron, which is why we highlight both above. However, Petitioners in particular do not develop an argument regarding Cog Hill, thus waiving the matter. See Ill. S. Ct. R. 341(h)(7) (eff. Jan. 1, 2016) (an appellant's argument must contain the contentions of the appellant and the reasons therefor, with citation to authorities and record relied on, and points not argued are waived);
Marzouki v. Nagar-Marzouki
,
The Petitioners essentially ask that we discount Palos Park's efforts to annex the forest preserve. They assert the forest preserve annexation cannot constitute "action" by Palos Park corporate authorities in support of the Objectors' voluntary petitions to annex territory to Palos Park. They now contend that the forest preserve annexation was unnecessary to establish contiguity with the golf courses because such property falls under a legal exception. Rather than citing law or the testimony of a lawyer to support this proposition, Petitioners cite the deposition of Cog Hill's engineer, McBride, wherein she testified that contiguity is allowed across forest preserve lands. McBride, however, also testified "there was some concern that perhaps the contiguity across forest preserve lands might have been protested." Regardless, because Petitioners failed to cite the statute or any law to support their claim in their opening brief, they waived the matter. See Ill. S. Ct. R. 341(h)(7) (eff. Jan. 1, 2016) (an appellant's argument must contain the contentions of the appellant and the reasons therefor, with citation to authorities, and points not argued shall not be raised in the reply brief);
Marzouki
,
Reference
- Full Case Name
- In RE PETITION TO ANNEX CERTAIN TERRITORY TO the VILLAGE OF LEMONT, Illinois, (The Village of Lemont, an Illinois Municipal Corporation, Intervenor-Appellant; Mid-Iron Club, Inc., Gleneagles Country Club, Inc., Cook Golf Properties, Inc., Pine Meadow Golf Club, Inc. D/B/A Cog Hill, and the Village of Palos Park, an Illinois Municipal Corporation, Objectors-Appellees).
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Unpublished