揭开事实发现的神秘面纱

该内容传达一般信息. 不要用它来代替法律建议. Any attorney general opinions cited are available from the League’s Research staff.

使用事实发现

Working with municipal land use regulations can be difficult for both city officials and residents. 有时候，城市需要做出有争议的决定, 不管结果如何, 有人会不开心.

An important part of the process is developing and adopting written “findings of fact” that explain the decision. Carefully and thoughtfully developing written findings can help solve a contentious problem because it forces officials to focus their inquiry on the relevant considerations. It also produces a record that makes it easier for a court to uphold the decision if challenged.

发现了什么??

“Findings of fact” is a common term used to refer to a city’s written explanation of a land use decision. 这个词起源于法院, where judges often explain their determinations by issuing documents entitled “Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law.” They recite the relevant facts and then make conclusions by applying those facts to relevant legal criteria.

像法院一样，城市有时需要将事实应用于法律来做出决定. 执行土地使用条例, the city must often determine the facts associated with a particular request and then apply those facts to the legal standards.

这一过程被称为“准司法”,” and city authority is limited to applying the rules in place to the facts presented. 事实表明申请人符合有关法律标准的, 那么他们就有资格获得批准.

Typical land use approvals for which a city may need to find facts include requests for:

• 有条件或临时使用许可证
• 分区差异
• 批准分区或平台.

如果一个城市因土地使用决定而被起诉, courts will review the record for a sufficient statement of the reasons given by the city for granting or denying the request. 如果市稳定的十大彩票网站拒绝与分区有关的申请, 明尼苏达州的60天规则要求拒绝的理由必须以书面形式提出(明尼苏达州. 统计. § 15.99). Even when an application is approved, written findings explaining the decision are advisable. 调查结果应该为法院提供维持判决所需的一切.

如何做出发现

Creating findings of fact can be relatively straightforward if a city uses the following basic guidelines.

将事实适用于法律

Findings of fact should explain to the reader how and 为什么 the city reached its decision. 该文件应:

• Identify the relevant legal criteria, such as statutory standards or code provisions.
• 解释与具体申请有关的事实.
• 将这些事实应用到法律标准中.

查阅法律

在着手寻找事实之前，需要做一点调查. 关键的早期步骤是确定相关的法律标准.

例如, applications for conditional use permits are subject to standards that should be spelled out in city ordinance. 确定适用的条例标准. 在你的发现中引用相关的标准.

提供相关事实

Findings of fact should state all the relevant facts the city considered in making its decision. A fact is relevant if it proves or disproves that the application meets the legal standards.

例如, if an applicant is seeking a conditional use permit where the effect of traffic on adjacent properties is an ordinance standard, 然后，城市应该寻找与交通影响有关的事实. It is important to address each and every relevant legal standard by describing relevant facts.

展示你的作品

Like a math exam in school, it is important to be complete and to “show your work.“展示你的工作可能比取得一个特定的结果更重要. Explaining the method of reasoning the city followed in judging an application helps ensure the city is on the right track. If a reader can tell how you reached your result, without having to guess, you showed your work. 但如果让读者去猜测，那么这座城市的根基可能就不稳固了.

仅仅因为

A simple technique to ensure findings sufficiently connect the decision to legal standards is to use the word “because.“在完成调查之前，仔细阅读每一个陈述. What you write after the word “because” in each finding must support the statement that introduces the finding. A similar approach is to phrase the standard as question, and then provide a detailed answer.

不要以为

不要以为 the reader knows about your city or has any background about the decisions. 通过讲述整个故事，呈现出一幅完整的画面. 书面的调查结果对于不熟悉此事的人来说应该是清楚的. A person who knows nothing about your city or subject property should be able to read the findings and know what decision the city made and 为什么.

保持正轨

有时会出现与法律标准无关的问题. If city officials start to discuss and debate the facts of the application without limiting themselves to the relevant legal standards, 他们会把大量的时间和精力浪费在无法解决的问题上. 关于无关事实的争论将使城市误入歧途. 在你的调查结果中不要包含不相关的事实.

当心反对

Neighborhood opposition is a challenging issue when considering the merits of a particular land use request. Case law holds that the opinions of neighbors should not be the sole basis for a particular city action. While residents can bring to light helpful information that relates to the legal standards, 单独的反对从来不是法律上相关的发现. (明尼苏达州etonka Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Inc. v. Svee, 226 N.W.2d 306(明尼苏达州. 1975)).

不要鹦鹉

调查结果必须充分描述决策的理由. 模棱两可的, conclusory, or boiler plate language does not usually provide a sufficient explanation of the decision’s rationale. 仅仅重述或“鹦鹉学舌”法律标准是不够的. 说明法律标准是很重要的. 但市稳定的十大彩票网站必须做得更多，并做出解释 为什么 是否达到了标准.

演讲很重要

如果你想要别人认真对待你，你的表达方式是很重要的. So, check your spelling, use correct grammar, avoid pronouns, and don’t try to be funny. 如果你用心表现好, it reinforces the idea that the city knows what it is doing and acted for sound reasons.

得到帮助

Sometimes a city might find itself in over its head, and it can be important to seek guidance. 确保你理解了调查结果中的陈述. 例如, 如果你不知道综合计划提供了什么, do not try to complete a finding regarding the comprehensive plan until you learn what it states. 咨询规划师或城市律师或联系联盟.

结论

Written findings should identify the relevant legal criteria (such as statutory standards or code provisions), 解释有关特定应用程序的相关事实, 然后将这些事实应用到法律标准中来得出结论.

有时不止一个结论是可能的. If the city takes care to develop thoughtful findings of fact that relate to the relevant legal standards, 这个城市为什么会做出这样的决定，不应该有什么神秘之处.

查看来自格兰特市和其他地方的事实调查样本 (pdf)