Morgan v. Sisters School District 6 , 353 Or. 189 ( 2013 )


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  • No. 5                                                  January 17, 2013                189
    
    553 Or 17
    ,Sisters School District #6
    3
    Morgan v. 2013
    2013
    January
    IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE
    STATE OF OREGON
    Mike MORGAN,
    Petitioner on Review,
    v.
    SISTERS SCHOOL DISTRICT #6
    and its Board of Directors,
    Respondent on Review.
    (CC 08-CV-0423AB; CA A142252; SC S059465)
    On review from the Court of Appeals.*
    Argued and submitted March 5, 2012.
    Ross A. Day of The Day Law Group, P.C., Portland,
    argued the cause and filed the brief for petitioner on review.
    Peter R. Mersereau of Mersereau & Shannon, LLP,
    Portland, argued the cause and filed the brief for respondent
    on review. With him on the brief was Thomas W. McPherson.
    Before Balmer, Chief Justice, Kistler, Walters, Linder,
    and Landau, Justices, and Durham and De Muniz, Senior
    Judges, Justices pro tempore.**
    LANDAU, J.
    The decision of the Court of Appeals and the judgment of
    the circuit court are affirmed.
    Plaintiff Morgan filed suit under ORS 28.020, seeking declaratory and injunc-
    tive relief addressing certain financial obligations assumed by defendants, Sisters
    School District #6 and its Board of Directors. Defendants sought dismissal of the
    suit, alleging that plaintiff lacked statutory standing. Plaintiff countered that he
    has standing in three ways: (1) as a voter, (2) as a taxpayer, and (3) under a hybrid
    voter-taxpayer theory. Held: (1) Plaintiff lacks standing as a voter because his
    complaint does not request relief that would have the practical effect of remedying
    the denial of his right to vote; (2) Plaintiff alleged injuries too speculative to sup-
    port standing under a taxpayer theory or a potential hybrid theory.
    The decision of the Court of Appeals and the judgment of the circuit court are
    affirmed.
    ______________
    ** Appeal from Deschutes County Circuit Court, Alta Jean Brady, Judge. 
    241 Or App 483
    , 251 P3d 207 (2011).
    ** Brewer and Baldwin, JJ., did not participate in the consideration or
    decision of this case.
    190                     Morgan v. Sisters School District #6
    LANDAU, J.
    At issue in this case is whether plaintiff has
    standing under the Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act,
    ORS 28.020, to seek a declaration that defendant Sisters
    School District #6 and its Board of Directors (board) lacked
    authority to enter into a particular form of financing
    arrangement without a vote of the people. Plaintiff alleged
    that he has standing because his “status as a taxpayer and
    voter within the district will or may be adversely affected[.]”
    More specifically, plaintiff alleged that entering into the
    challenged form of financing arrangement might, in some
    unspecified way, “jeopardize the district[‘]s ability to provide
    for the daily operation of the district” and, if that should
    come to pass, increase the likelihood that the district will
    have to seek additional financing to cover its obligations.
    The trial court concluded that those allegations were
    insufficient to satisfy the requirement of ORS 28.020 that
    only persons “whose rights, status or other legal relations
    are affected” by the challenged ordinance have standing.
    The Court of Appeals likewise concluded that the harm that
    plaintiff alleges is too attenuated and speculative to satisfy
    the standing requirement of the Uniform Declaratory
    Judgments Act. Morgan v. Sisters School District #6, 
    241 Or App 483
    , 251 P3d 207 (2011). We agree and affirm.
    The relevant facts are uncontested. On March 12,
    2007, the board adopted Resolution No #FY 06-07-06, which
    authorized the issuance and negotiated sale of “Full Faith
    and Credit Obligations, Series 2007” in an amount not to
    exceed $2.1 million. The resolution stated that the obligations
    were to be issued as “certificates of participation” under
    ORS 271.390, which authorizes public bodies to issue that
    type of obligation to fund the acquisition or improvement of
    certain property, secured by any or all “lawfully available
    funds of the public body or council of governments”—in
    essence, the full faith and credit of the governmental unit.
    The stated purpose of the obligation was to finance the cost
    of improvements to district property, including classrooms,
    furniture, fixtures, building system upgrades, and the like.
    On May 22, 2007, Wells Fargo Bank, acting as escrow
    agent, issued the certificates of participation for purchase
    by investors.
    Cite as 
    353 Or 189
     (2013)                                       191
    One year later, in May 2008, plaintiff filed a
    complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief against the
    district and the board. Plaintiff alleged that the obligations
    that had been denominated “certificates of participation”
    actually were bonds, which, under ORS 328.205 to 328.230,
    may be issued only after approval by a majority of the
    electors in the school district. Plaintiff alleged that his
    “status as a taxpayer and voter within the district will or
    may be adversely affected by the actions of the school district
    as alleged in paragraph 16(e) and 16(f)” of his complaint. In
    those paragraphs, he alleged:
    “(e) The issuance of ‘bonds’ without the approval of the
    electorate, may jeopardize the district[‘]s ability to provide
    for the daily operation of the district.
    “(f) The issuance of the ‘bonds’ by the district without
    voter approval increases the likelihood that the district
    will have to seek voter approval of additional bonds
    either as local option bonds or general obligation bonds.
    ORS 328.205 et seq. is intended to initially require voter
    approval and thus avoid the prospect of spending too much
    money in the form of full faith and credit obligations and
    then seeking voter approval.”
    In his prayer for relief, plaintiff requested that the
    court declare that the certificates of participation at issue
    actually are bonds and that “the district wrongfully failed to
    obtain the approval of the voters within the school district”
    before issuing those bonds. Notably, plaintiff did not ask
    for a declaration that the certificates of participation are
    invalid. Nor did he request an order that the matter be put
    to a vote. He asked that the court prohibit the district from
    making any further payments on the obligations; that is, he
    requested that the court order the district simply to default
    on the obligations.
    Plaintiff moved for summary judgment, arguing
    that the certificates of participation issued by the district
    were bonds that should not have been issued without prior
    voter approval.
    Defendants filed their own motion for summary
    judgment that responded to plaintiff’s arguments on the
    merits, but they also requested dismissal of the action
    192                     Morgan v. Sisters School District #6
    for want of justiciability. Pointing to the allegations of
    standing in paragraphs 16(e) and 16(f) of the complaint,
    defendants argued that, at best, plaintiff had alleged only
    a remote possibility that the issuance of the certificates of
    participation would affect him in any way. Such a remote
    possibility of harm, defendants argued, was not sufficient
    to establish the concrete stake in the outcome of a case that
    the law requires.
    Plaintiff responded that he need only allege a
    “potential impact” to proceed on a taxpayer standing
    theory and that he had made such an allegation by arguing
    “ultimate facts, which, if established, would demonstrate
    that plaintiff would be required to pay proportionately more
    taxes for the same or less educational services.”
    The trial court denied plaintiff’s motion for
    summary judgment, granted defendants’ motion, and
    entered judgment dismissing the case. In a memorandum
    opinion, the trial court explained that plaintiff lacks standing
    because the “potential impact” of the district’s actions that
    plaintiff had described is “attenuated and speculative.”
    Plaintiff appealed, assigning error to the trial
    court’s denial of his motion for summary judgment and
    to the granting of defendants’ motion. He argued that the
    trial court had erred in concluding that he lacks standing
    and that the court should have ruled in his favor on the
    merits. On appeal, plaintiff’s arguments on standing were
    rather more elaborate than those advanced before the trial
    court. He argued that he has standing both as a voter and
    as a taxpayer. Regarding his standing as a voter, plaintiff
    argued that he alleged that he is a voter within the school
    district and that he had been deprived of the right to vote
    on the issuance of the financial obligations that are at issue.
    That, he contended, is all that the law requires to establish
    standing. As for his standing as a taxpayer, he argued that
    documents in the summary judgment record show that the
    certificates of participation that the district issued require
    it to pay as much as $240,400 per year in principal and
    interest payments until 2022. According to plaintiff, “[i]f
    the district was unable to make its payments of principal
    and interest[,]” then the purchasers of those certificates of
    Cite as 
    353 Or 189
     (2013)                                     193
    participation “would have both the contractual and statutory
    right to force the district to levy a tax to pay the money due
    to them.”
    In response, defendants argued first that plaintiff
    had failed to preserve his contention that he has standing as
    a voter. According to defendants, plaintiff’s only argument
    to the trial court was that he has taxpayer standing, based
    on the potential financial impact of a possible default on
    the financial obligations. Regarding the issue of taxpayer
    standing, defendants argued that the trial court correctly
    concluded that the allegations of potential injury are simply
    too speculative to satisfy the more direct interest that the
    law requires.
    The Court of Appeals affirmed. The court began
    with plaintiff’s argument that he has standing as a voter,
    separate and distinct from his standing as a taxpayer.
    The court concluded that plaintiff had failed to raise that
    particular theory before the trial court and was therefore
    precluded from asserting it for the first time on appeal.
    Morgan, 241 Or App at 488. In any event, the court noted,
    under existing case law, voter standing is limited to those
    cases in which it is alleged that the deprivation of the right
    to vote would have affected the outcome of the election at
    issue, and no such allegation had been made in this case. Id.
    at 487-88.
    Turning to taxpayer standing, the court concluded
    that the connection between the approval of the certificates
    of participation and any possible harm to plaintiff was too
    speculative to demonstrate that his rights are “affected”
    for purposes of ORS 28.020. The court explained that a
    long chain of uncertain events would have to occur before
    plaintiff would experience actual harm as a result of the
    issuance of the certificates of participation:
    “First, the district must find itself unable to pay back the
    principal and interest on the [certificates of participation]
    from available revenues. Second, some authoritative
    tribunal must determine that the district has no discretion
    in deciding how to remedy the default on its own: it must
    raise taxes by floating a bond (instead of, for example,
    declaring bankruptcy or liquidating assets). Third, the bond
    194                      Morgan v. Sisters School District #6
    issue must pass. Fourth, plaintiff must still be a resident
    of the district when the bond issue passes. Fifth, plaintiff
    must have resources that are affected by the bond issue.”
    Id. at 490.
    Before this court, plaintiff contends that the Court
    of Appeals erred in concluding that he lacks standing. As he
    argued before that court, he now argues on review that he
    has standing both because he is a voter who has alleged the
    loss of the right to vote and because he is a taxpayer who
    may be adversely affected should the district be unable to
    pay its obligations. In addition, he advances a new argument
    that he denominates “hybrid” standing; that is, even if he
    lacks standing as a voter or a taxpayer, he still has standing
    because of the combination of both those interests.
    “Standing” is a term of art that is used to describe
    when a party “possesses a status or qualification necessary
    for the assertion, enforcement, or adjudication of legal rights
    or duties.” Kellas v. Dept. of Corrections, 
    341 Or 471
    , 476-
    77, 145 P3d 139 (2006). Whether a plaintiff has standing
    depends on the particular requirements of the statute under
    which he or she is seeking relief. Local No. 290 v. Dept. of
    Environ. Quality, 
    323 Or 559
    , 566, 919 P2d 1168 (1996).
    In this case, plaintiff seeks declaratory relief under
    the Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act, ORS 28.020,
    and also injunctive relief. We begin with his request for
    declaratory relief under ORS 28.020, which provides:
    “Any person interested under a deed, will, written
    contract or other writing constituting a contract, or
    whose rights, status or other legal relations are affected
    by a constitution, statute, municipal charter, ordinance,
    contract or franchise may have determined any question of
    construction or validity arising under any such instrument,
    constitution, statute, municipal charter, ordinance,
    contract or franchise and obtain a declaration of rights,
    status or other legal relations thereunder.”
    Thus, to seek relief under the Uniform Declaratory
    Judgments Act, a plaintiff must establish that his or her
    “rights, status, or other legal relations” are “affected by” the
    relevant instrument. This court’s prior cases have variously
    Cite as 
    353 Or 189
     (2013)                                   195
    described the test for establishing that a plaintiff’s rights
    are affected under that provision. We draw from those cases
    three related but separate considerations.
    The first consideration is that there must be “some
    injury or other impact upon a legally recognized interest
    beyond an abstract interest in the correct application or the
    validity of a law.” League of Oregon Cities v. State of Oregon,
    
    334 Or 645
    , 658, 56 P3d 892 (2002). It is not sufficient that
    a party thinks an enactment or a decision of a government
    entity to be unlawful. The standing requirements of ORS
    28.020 require that the challenged law must affect that
    party’s rights, status, or legal relations.
    Thus, for example, in Eacret et ux v. Holmes, 
    215 Or 121
    , 333 P2d 741 (1958), the plaintiffs initiated an action
    under the Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act, requesting
    a declaration that the Governor lacked the constitutional
    authority to commute the sentence of death that had been
    imposed on the defendant, who had been convicted of
    murdering their son. This court affirmed the dismissal of
    the action for want of standing. The court explained that
    “[t]he wrong of which they complain—if there be a wrong—
    is public in character. The complaint discloses no special
    injury affecting the plaintiffs differently from other citizens.”
    
    Id. at 124
    . “There is no case for declaratory relief,” the court
    concluded, “where the plaintiff seeks merely to vindicate a
    public right to have the laws of the state properly enforced
    and administered.” 
    Id. at 125
     (internal quotation marks
    omitted). See also League of Oregon Cities, 
    334 Or at 658
    (plaintiff must show “ ‘some injury or other impact upon a
    legally recognized interest beyond an abstract interest in
    the correct application or the validity of a law’ ”); Cummings
    Constr. v. School District No. 9, 
    242 Or 106
    , 110, 408 P2d
    80 (1965) (construction contractors lacked standing to
    challenge school district construction bidding practices
    when they did not bid for school district construction work).
    The second consideration is that the injury must
    be real or probable, not hypothetical or speculative. As this
    court explained in TVKO v. Howland, 
    335 Or 527
    , 534,
    73 P3d 905 (2003), “This court consistently has held that
    courts cannot issue declaratory judgments in a vacuum;
    196                      Morgan v. Sisters School District #6
    they must resolve an actual or justiciable controversy. To
    be justiciable, a controversy must involve a dispute based
    on present facts rather than on contingent or hypothetical
    events.” (Citations omitted.)
    Gruber v. Lincoln Hospital District, 
    285 Or 3
    , 588
    P2d 1281 (1979), illustrates that principle. In that case, the
    plaintiff initiated an action for a declaration that a contract
    between the municipal health district and a physician was
    unlawful. The trial court dismissed the action for lack of
    standing. On appeal, the plaintiff argued that he had
    standing as a taxpayer, entitled to challenge actions of
    the municipal health district that amounted to a misuse of
    public funds. This court rejected the argument, explaining
    that the plaintiff had failed to describe how the actions of
    the municipal health district led to any “actual or potential
    adverse fiscal consequences” as to him personally. 
    Id. at 8
    .
    “When the potential fiscal implications of a public contract
    are not apparent on its face,” the court explained, “they
    should not be left to judicial speculation; they need to be
    asserted, if a plaintiff relies on his interest as a taxpayer” to
    proceed under ORS 28.020. 
    Id. at 9
    .
    Savage v. Munn, 
    317 Or 283
    , 856 P2d 298
    (1993), also is instructive. In that case, the plaintiffs
    initiated a declaratory judgment action, challenging the
    constitutionality of a property tax limitation enacted in 1990
    as Ballot Measure 5. Plaintiffs alleged that the measure
    would have the effect of making them pay proportionally
    more for the same services than others who owned similar
    properties. The defendants argued that the case should
    be dismissed for want of standing because the plaintiffs’
    claims were based on the hypothetical operation of the
    ballot measure and because they had failed to demonstrate
    a “direct effect” of the challenged law on their personal
    tax bills. The court rejected the argument, explaining that
    the gravamen of the plaintiffs’ claim in that case was not
    the unconstitutionality of the amount of their taxes, but
    rather the manner in which taxes were capped under Ballot
    Measure 5, which, the court stated, “are ‘present facts,’
    not simply possible future events.” 
    Id. at 292
    . Under those
    circumstances, the court explained, specifying how the
    Cite as 
    353 Or 189
     (2013)                                197
    law would affect the amount of plaintiffs’ tax bills was not
    required. 
    Id.
    The third and final consideration is that the court’s
    decision must have a practical effect on the rights that the
    plaintiff is seeking to vindicate. Kellas, 
    341 Or at 484-85
    (discussing practical effects requirement of ORS 28.020).
    That is to say, a connection must exist between the rights
    that a plaintiff seeks to vindicate and the relief requested.
    The relief that the plaintiff seeks, if granted, must redress
    the injury that is the subject of the declaratory judgment
    action. As this court explained in Cummings Constr., 
    242 Or at 110
    , there must be “a real and substantial controversy
    admitting of specific relief through a decree of conclusive
    character.” Otherwise, the court’s decision will amount to
    no more than an advisory opinion.
    Thus, for example, in Hazell v. Brown, 
    352 Or 455
    , 467, 287 P3d 1079 (2012), the plaintiffs initiated an
    action under the Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act,
    challenging the Secretary of State’s determination that a
    voter-approved ballot measure was “dormant” and had not
    yet gone into effect. On appeal, they also asked the court to
    declare specific provisions of the measure unconstitutional.
    This court declined to do that. The court began by noting
    that the parties had standing to challenge whether the
    statute had gone into effect; they alleged the requisite
    interest and sought a remedy to effectuate that interest.
    
    Id.
     But, the court noted, they had neglected “to seek any
    specific relief connected to the application or nonapplication
    of the individual provisions in question.” 
    Id.
     Consequently,
    their complaint was insufficient “to allege a justiciable
    controversy under the declaratory judgment act, as to
    the individual provisions” of the ballot measure. 
    Id.
     An
    opinion on the constitutionality of the individual provisions,
    the court concluded, would amount to an impermissible
    advisory opinion. Id. at 468. See also Strunk v. PERB, 
    338 Or 145
    , 153, 108 P3d 1058 (2005) (standing requires “some
    practical effect on [a] party’s rights”); Barcik v. Kubiaczyk,
    
    321 Or 174
    , 188, 895 P2d 765 (1995) (declaratory relief is
    available “only when it can affect * * * some rights between
    the parties”); Brown v. Oregon State Bar, 
    293 Or 446
    , 449,
    198                     Morgan v. Sisters School District #6
    648 P2d 1289 (1982) (“A justiciable controversy results in
    specific relief through a binding decree as opposed to an
    advisory opinion[.]”); Gortmaker v. Seaton, 
    252 Or 440
    ,
    443, 450 P2d 547 (1969) (plaintiff lacked standing under
    Declaratory Judgments Act because a decision would not
    affect his rights).
    With the foregoing principles in mind, we turn to
    the parties’ arguments about plaintiff’s standing in this
    case, beginning with plaintiff’s contention that he has
    standing as a voter who has been denied the right to vote
    on the financial obligations that the district issued. As we
    have noted, defendants argue—and the Court of Appeals
    agreed—that plaintiff failed to preserve that particular
    theory of standing. Plaintiff argues that the Court of Appeals
    erred in concluding that he failed to preserve that theory
    of standing. He contends that, by alleging in his complaint
    that his “status as a taxpayer and voter” was adversely
    affected, he alerted the trial court and defendants that he
    was relying on voter standing.
    We are doubtful that the bare allegation in the
    complaint that plaintiff was adversely affected as a voter,
    without more, suffices to preserve his current contention
    that he has standing as a voter who was deprived of the
    right to vote. See, e.g., Gruber, 
    285 Or at 7-8
     (“[A] complaint
    under this section [ORS 28.020] must show how plaintiff’s
    ‘rights, status, or other legal relations are affected’ by an
    instrument or enactment.” (Emphasis added.)). Indeed,
    although the complaint does allege that plaintiff’s rights as
    a voter were adversely affected, the only allegation as to
    the nature of that adverse effect was the fact that he might
    suffer financial harm should the district be unable to meet
    its obligations. And, consistently with that allegation, the
    only argument that plaintiff made to the trial court was
    that he has standing because of that potential fiscal impact
    on him as a taxpayer.
    Even assuming for the sake of argument that
    plaintiff adequately preserved his contention that he has
    voter standing based on the loss of his right to vote on the
    resolution approving the certificates of participation, the
    contention ultimately fails. At the outset, we note that this
    Cite as 
    353 Or 189
     (2013)                                  199
    court has recognized that the denial of the right to vote can
    satisfy the personal injury requirement that the Uniform
    Declaratory Judgments Act makes a prerequisite to
    standing. In Webb v. Clatsop Co. School Dist. 3, 
    188 Or 324
    ,
    215 P2d 368 (1950), a voter brought a declaratory judgment
    action, seeking to set aside the results of an election in which
    he had been denied the right to vote. The particular election
    involved two school districts that had voted to consolidate.
    The consolidation proposal had been approved by a margin
    of a single vote. In challenging the validity of the election,
    the plaintiff noted that, had he been permitted to vote,
    the outcome of the election would have been different. The
    defendant school districts sought dismissal of the action on
    the ground that the plaintiff lacked standing. This court
    disagreed, holding that the complaint clearly set out the
    denial of his right to vote, followed by “an appropriate prayer
    in that regard.” 
    Id. at 331
    . It bears some emphasis that the
    court’s decision was based not only on the allegation of a
    denial of the right to vote, but also on the existence of an
    “appropriate prayer,” that is, one that, if granted, would
    have remedied the injury of which the plaintiff complained.
    The court also noted that the plaintiff had alleged that,
    had he been permitted to vote, the outcome of the election
    would have been different. But it is not entirely clear from
    the court’s opinion how much difference that made in its
    analysis.
    In this case, plaintiff did allege in his complaint
    that he was a voter who had been denied the right to vote.
    But, unlike the plaintiff in Webb, plaintiff in this case seeks
    no relief that could remedy the denial of his right to vote.
    His complaint does not ask for an order compelling the
    district to hold an election. It simply asks for a declaration
    that the district should have held one. Such a declaration
    would have no practical effect on plaintiff’s voting rights and
    would amount to a purely advisory opinion. We therefore
    conclude that his allegation that he is a voter who has been
    denied the right to vote is inadequate to satisfy the standing
    requirements of ORS 28.020.
    In reaching that conclusion, we emphasize that
    we are not holding that plaintiff lacks standing because he
    200                      Morgan v. Sisters School District #6
    merely asks for a declaration that his rights had been violated.
    To the contrary, in appropriate cases, such a declaration is
    adequate to satisfy the practical effect requirement that this
    court’s cases have described. In cases involving disputed
    provisions of a contract or insurance policy, for example,
    a declaration of the parties’ rights under that contract or
    policy can have a concrete effect on the parties to it. See,
    e.g., Carey v. Lincoln Loan Co., 
    342 Or 530
    , 532-33, 157
    P3d 775 (2007) (action for declaration as to enforceability
    of provisions in loan agreement); North Pacific Ins. Co. v.
    Hamilton, 
    332 Or 20
    , 22-23, 22 P3d 739 (2001) (action for
    declaration as to insurer’s liability under a policy of liability
    insurance). Or, for another example, in cases involving a
    recurring action, a declaration of the lawfulness of that
    action can have a practical effect in establishing the basis
    for further relief, such as an injunction, see, e.g., State ex
    rel Oregonian Publishing Co. v. Sams, 
    298 Or 329
    , 333, 692
    P2d 116 (1984) (suggesting that “the appropriate remedy for
    challenging a recurring practice that is believed to be illegal
    is by declaratory judgment”), or monetary damages, see, e.g.,
    Ken Leahy Construction, Inc. v. Cascade General, Inc., 
    329 Or 566
    , 573-74, 994 P2d 112 (1999); Lowe v. Harmon, 
    167 Or 128
    , 136, 115 P2d 297 (1941) (relief under the Declaratory
    Judgments Act “may include an assessment of damages”).
    In this case, however, plaintiff has offered no explanation as
    to how the issuance of the judicial declaration that he seeks
    would have any practical effect on his voting rights, and we
    are aware of none.
    We turn then to plaintiff’s contention that he
    nevertheless has adequately alleged taxpayer standing
    based on the potential financial impact of the issuance of the
    certificates of participation. As we have described, plaintiff
    alleged that the issuance of the certificates of participation
    “may jeopardize the district[’]s ability to provide for the daily
    operation of the district.” His complaint, however, does not
    explain why the issuance of those obligations might have
    that effect. Moreover, he does not allege that the district’s
    potential inability to provide for its daily operations affects
    him in any way. He also alleged that the issuance of the
    obligations “increases the likelihood” that the district will
    have to seek additional funds from taxpayers like himself.
    Cite as 
    353 Or 189
     (2013)                                 201
    The problem is that such a “likelihood” is “increased” only
    in the event that the district finds itself unable to pay its
    obligations, and even then, only if the voters were to approve
    a district request for additional funding, and further, only
    if plaintiff remains a resident of the district when those
    other events occur. Thus, plaintiff’s allegations that the
    issuance of the certifications of participation will affect him
    are predicated on a series of hypothetical contingencies, not
    on present facts. As such, they are inadequate to satisfy the
    requirements of standing under the Uniform Declaratory
    Judgments Act.
    That leaves plaintiff’s proposed “hybrid” standing
    argument: That is, even if he lacks standing as a voter and
    a taxpayer, he should be held to possess standing as a voter
    who has not only been denied the right to vote, but who also
    has suffered (or will suffer) financial loss as a taxpayer. Even
    assuming for the sake of argument that it is permissible for
    plaintiff to advance such an argument at this late stage, the
    argument is unavailing. The fact remains that a declaratory
    judgment in this case will not remedy any injury to plaintiff’s
    voting rights. And adding to the inquiry his allegations of
    purely contingent, hypothetical fiscal harm does not alter
    that fact.
    Plaintiff also seeks injunctive relief, specifically,
    an order that the district not continue to pay on the
    certificates of participation. As this court observed in Eckles
    v. State of Oregon, 
    306 Or 380
    , 386, 760 P2d 846 (1988),
    no statute governs the issue of standing to seek injunctive
    relief. Nevertheless, the court explained, it has long
    applied essentially the same standing requirements that
    ordinarily apply in declaratory judgment actions. 
    Id.
     In
    fact, in a number of the cases that we have described above
    concerning the three requirements of standing under the
    Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act, the plaintiffs sought
    both declaratory and injunctive relief, and the court did
    not distinguish between the forms of relief in assessing the
    issue of standing. See, e.g., Hazell, 352 Or at 467-68; League
    of Oregon Cities, 
    334 Or at 657-62
    ; Barcik, 
    321 Or at 179
    . In
    light of the fact that the same standing standards apply to
    plaintiff’s request for declaratory and injunctive relief, we
    202                    Morgan v. Sisters School District #6
    conclude that, for the reasons that we have described with
    respect to his request for declaratory relief, his claim for
    injunctive relief also fails for lack of standing.
    The decision of the Court of Appeals and the
    judgment of the circuit court are affirmed.