Inadmissibility of municipal appeal for failure to submit reasoned briefInadmisibilidad de apelación municipal por falta de memorial razonado

Improper-hierarchy municipal appeal Appellant: Naret S.A. Condominio Horizontal Cerro Alto Respondent: Municipalidad de Escazú Contentious-Administrative Tribunal, Central 2545-00-03 Fax 2545-00-33 Email ...01 _______________________________________________________________________ No. 2 -2015 CONTENTIOUS-ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL. THIRD SECTION, ANNEX A OF THE II CIRCUITO JUDICIAL DE SAN JOSÉ. Goicoechea, at thirteen hours and fifty minutes on January fourteenth, two thousand fifteen.- Appeal (Recurso de apelación) filed by the company NARET S.A., legal identification number CED80705, administrator of the Condominio Horizontal Residencial Cerro Alto, represented by Mr. Manuel Terán Jiménez, who holds powers as a generalísimo attorney-in-fact without limit of amount; against resolution No. DAME -90-2013 14 at eight o'clock, without a specific date, in the month of September 2013, of the MUNICIPAL MAYOR OF ESCAZÚ (ALCALDE MUNICIPAL DE ESCAZÚ).

Judge Solano Ulloa writes; WHEREAS (CONSIDERANDO):

I.- In the initial pleading (libelo) of the appeal, filed on September 30, 2013, and visible at folio 207, the appellant indicated that "2. For formal purposes and in order not to bring reiterated fijas (sic) to the record, and because I disagree with what was decided, insofar as it does not resolve what was raised, I request that the very memorial of filing the appeal before this Mayor's Office be taken as the basis and argumentation of this remedy. 3. I reiterate my request to render the challenged act without effect". Once the case was elevated to the Tribunal, by order (auto) at 10:51 hours on November 5, 2013, the corresponding legal hearing (audiencia de ley) was granted so that the appellant could express their grievances (agravios), which received as a response the memorial presented on November 14, 2013, in which Mr. Terán Jiménez, exercising his powers as mandatary, expressed: "3. For formal purposes and by way of expressing grievances, I request that the very memorial of filing the appeal before that Mayor's Office be taken as part of this writing. 4. I reiterate my request to render the challenged act without effect" (folio 218).

II.On the inadmissibility of the appeal. The principle of informalism (principio de informalismo) covers the administrative procedure, including the appellate phase regulated in the General Public Administration Law (Ley General de la Administración Pública), Article 348, according to which it suffices that a request for review is inferred for the appeal to be deemed properly filed. Notwithstanding this, the municipal regime on appellate matters has its own regulations, which excludes the General Public Administration Law, and where the effects of said principle are diminished by imposing procedural burdens on the parties, such that all ordinary or extraordinary remedies require the appellant to challenge by reasoned memorial, as provided by Articles 156, 162, and 163 of the Municipal Code (Código Municipal). This is because this non-hierarchical comptroller only has jurisdiction to hear defects of legality of the challenged act, as regulated by Article 181 of the General Public Administration Law, which must be adequately and reasonably set forth by the challenger. In the case under study, the appellant company disregarded this legal requirement, as it did not take advantage of either of the two opportunities it had to express its grievances against resolution DAME-90-2013 of the Mayor of Escazú, limiting itself to maintaining the defects it perceived against the administrative act emanating from the Environmental Comptroller's Office (Contraloría Ambiental), official letter No. PCA-2013-0039 of January 25, 2013. The Mayor of Escazú extensively addressed the questions of fact and law raised by the appellant, who, before this Tribunal, did not challenge with arguments the content and reasoning arising from the appealed resolution. Under these conditions, this Chamber cannot proceed to rule on the merits of the matter, and the appeal filed must be declared inadmissible, as it lacks the reasoning required by Articles 156 and 162 of the Municipal Code.

THEREFORE (POR TANTO) The appeal filed is declared inadmissible.- Evelyn Solano Ulloa Jorge Leiva Poveda Marianella Álvarez Molina 2 Improper hierarchy municipal appeal (Apelación Municipal en jerarquia impropia) Appellant: Naret S.A. Condominio Horizontal Cerro Alto Respondent: Municipalidad de Escazú Tribunal Contencioso Administrativo, Central 2545-00-03 Fax 2545-00-33 Correo Electrónico ...01 _______________________________________________________________________ No. 2-2015 TRIBUNAL CONTENCIOSO ADMINISTRATIVO. SECCIÓN TERCERA, ANEXO A DEL II CIRCUITO JUDICIAL DE SAN JOSÉ. Goicoechea, at thirteen hours fifty minutes on the fourteenth of January, two thousand fifteen.- Appeal (Recurso de apelación) filed by the company NARET S.A., legal identification number (cédula jurídica) CED80705, administrator of the Condominio Horizontal Residencial Cerro Alto, represented by Mr. Manuel Terán Jiménez, who holds powers as a generalisimo attorney-in-fact without limit of sum; against resolution No. DAME -90-2013 14 at eight hours, with no specific date, of the month of September 2013, of the ALCALDE MUNICIPAL DE ESCAZÚ.

Drafted by Judge Solano Ulloa;

CONSIDERANDO:

I.- In the petition for filing the appeal, presented on September 30, 2013, and visible at folio 207, the appellant indicated that "2. For formal purposes and with the aim of not bringing reiterative fijas (sic) to the record and because I disagree with the ruling, insofar as it does not resolve what was raised, I request that the memorial of filing the appeal before this Mayor's Office itself be taken as the basis and argumentation of this appeal. 3. I reiterate my request that the contested act be rendered null and void". Once the proceedings were elevated to the Tribunal, by means of an order at 10:51 hours on November 5, 2013, the respective legal hearing was granted so that the appellant could express its grievances, which was answered by the memorial presented on November 14, 2013, in which Mr. Terán Jiménez, in exercise of his powers as mandatary, expressed: "3. For formal purposes and as a means of expressing grievances, I request that the memorial of filing the appeal before that Mayor's Office itself be taken as part of this brief. 4. I reiterate my request that the contested act be rendered null and void" (folio 218).

II.On the inadmissibility of the appeal. The principle of informality covers the administrative procedure, which extends to the review phase regulated in the Ley General de la Administración Pública, Article 348, according to which it is sufficient for the request for review to be inferred for the appeal to be considered correctly filed. Notwithstanding this, the municipal regime on appeals has its own regulation, which excludes the Ley General de la Administración Pública, where the effects of said principle are lessened through the imposition of procedural burdens on the parties, so that all ordinary or extraordinary appeals require the appellant's challenge through a reasoned memorial, as provided in numerals 156, 162 and 163 of the Código Municipal. This is because this non-hierarchical controller only has competence to address the legal defects of the contested act, as regulated by numeral 181 of the Ley General de la Administración Pública, which must be adequately set forth by the challenging party, in a reasoned manner. In the case under study, the appellant company omitted this legal requirement, since it did not take advantage of either of the two opportunities it had to express its grievances against resolution DAME-90-2013 of the Mayor of Escazú, limiting itself to maintaining the defects it observed against the administrative act emanating from the Contraloría Ambiental, official communication (oficio) No. PCA-2013-0039 of January 25, 2013. The Mayor of Escazú extensively addressed the questions of fact and law raised by the appellant, who, before this Tribunal, did not attack with arguments the content and reasoning that emerge from the resolution brought on appeal. Under these conditions, this Chamber cannot proceed to rule on the merits, and the appeal filed must be declared inadmissible, for lacking the reasoning required by numerals 156 and 162 of the Código Municipal.

POR TANTO

The appeal filed is declared inadmissible. - Evelyn Solano Ulloa Jorge Leiva Poveda Marianella Álvarez Molina 2

Apelación Municipal en jerarquia impropia Apela: Naret S.A. Condominio Horizontal Cerro Alto Contra: Municipalidad de Escazú Tribunal Contencioso Administrativo, Central 2545-00-03 Fax 2545-00-33 Correo Electrónico ...01 _______________________________________________________________________ No. 2 -2015 TRIBUNAL CONTENCIOSO ADMINISTRATIVO. SECCIÓN TERCERA, ANEXO A DEL II CIRCUITO JUDICIAL DE SAN JOSÉ. Goicoechea, a las trece horas cincuenta minutos del catorce de enero del dos mil quince.- Recurso de apelación interpuesto por la empresa NARET S.A., cédula jurídica número CED80705, administradora del Condominio Horizontal Residencial Cerro Alto, representada por el señor Manuel Terán Jiménez, quien ostenta facultades de apoderado generalísimo sin límite de suma; contra la resolución No. DAME -90-2013 14 de las ocho horas, sin fecha específica, del mes de setiembre del 2013, del ALCALDE MUNICIPAL DE ESCAZÚ.

Redacta la jueza Solano Ulloa;

CONSIDERANDO:

I.- En el libelo de interposición del recurso de apelación, presentado el 30 de setiembre del 2013 y visible a folio 207, la parte apelante indicó que "2. Para efectos formales y con el objeto de no traer fijas (sic) reiterativas a los autos y en razón de que discrepo de lo resuelto, en tanto no resuelve lo planteado, solicito que el propio memorial de interposición de la alzada ante esta Alcaldía ser tenga como fundamento y argumentación de este recurso. 3. Reitero mi solicitud para que se deje sin efecto el acto impugnado". Una vez elevados los autos ante Tribunal, mediante auto de las 10:51 horas del 5 de noviembre del 2013, se confirió la audiencia de ley respectiva a efecto de que la parte recurrente expresara sus agravios, la cual tuvo como respuesta el memorial presentado el 14 de noviembre del 2013, en el que el señor Terán Jiménez, en ejercicio de sus poderes como mandatario, expresó: "3. Para efectos formales y a modo de expresión de agravios, solicito que el propio memorial de interposición de la alzada ante esa Alcaldía se tenga como parte de este escrito. 4. Reitero mi solicitud para que se deje sin efecto el acto impugnado" (folio 218).

II.Sobre la inadmisibilidad del recurso de apelación. El principio de informalismo cobija el procedimiento administrativo, el cual alcanza la fase recursiva que se regula en la Ley General de la Administración Pública, artículo 348, según el cual basta con que se infiera la petición de revisión, para que se tenga por correctamente interpuesto el recurso. No obstante ello, el régimen municipal en materia recursiva, tiene regulación propia y excluyente de la Ley General de la Administración Pública, en donde se aminoran los efectos de dicho principio mediante la imposición de cargas procesales a las partes, de modo que todos los recursos ordinarios o extraordinarios exigen al recurrente la impugnación mediante memorial razonado, según lo disponen los numerales 156, 162 y 163 del Código Municipal. Ello obedece a que este contralor no jerárquico, solamente tiene competencia para entrar a conocer de los vicios de legalidad del acto impugnado, conforme lo regula el numeral 181 de la Ley General de la Administración Pública, los cuales deben ser adecuadamente expuestos por quien impugna, de manera razonada. En el caso sometido a estudio, la sociedad apelante obvió este requisito de ley, pues no aprovechó ninguna de las dos oportunidades que tuvo para expresar sus agravios en contra de la resolución DAME-90-2013 del Alcalde de Escazú, limitándose a mantener los vicios que apreció en contra del acto administrativo emanado de la Contraloría Ambiental, oficio No. PCA-2013-0039 del 25 de enero del 2013. El Alcalde de Escazú atendió ampliamente los cuestionamientos de hecho y derecho realizados por la parte apelante, quien ante este Tribunal, no atacó con argumentaciones el contenido y fundamentación que se desprenden de la resolución venida en alzada. En estas condiciones no puede esta Cámara entrar a resolver sobre el fondo del asunto, debiéndose declarar inadmisible el recurso de apelación interpuesto, por carecer de la motivación exigida por los numerales 156 y 162 del Código Municipal.

POR TANTO

Se declara inadmisible el recurso de apelación interpuesto .- Evelyn Solano Ulloa Jorge Leiva Poveda Marianella Álvarez Molina 2