267-C - Article seventy-eight proceeding.

§  267-c.  Article seventy-eight proceeding. 1. Application to supreme  court by aggrieved persons. Any person or persons, jointly or  severally  aggrieved  by  any  decision  of  the  board  of appeals or any officer,  department, board or bureau of the town, may apply to the supreme  court  for  review  by  a  proceeding  under article seventy-eight of the civil  practice law and rules.  Such  proceeding  shall  be  instituted  within  thirty days after the filing of a decision of the board in the office of  the town clerk.    2.  Costs  of  appeal. Costs shall not be allowed against the board of  appeals unless it shall appear to the court that  it  acted  with  gross  negligence  or  in  bad  faith  or  with  malice  in making the decision  appealed from.    3. Preference of appeal to court. All issues in any  proceeding  under  this  section  shall  have  preference  over all other civil actions and  proceedings.    4. Power of court. If upon the hearing at the supreme court, it  shall  appear  to  the  court  that  testimony  is  necessary  for  the  proper  disposition of the matter, it may take evidence or appoint a referee  to  take  such  evidence  as  it may direct and report the same to the court  with his or her findings of fact and conclusions  of  law,  which  shall  constitute a part of the proceedings upon which the determination of the  court  shall be made. The court may reverse or affirm, wholly or partly,  or may modify  the  decision  brought  up  for  review  determining  all  questions which may be presented for determination.