Bartek v. Wyoming Valley West School District

49 Pa. D. & C.2d 544, 1970 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 441
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Luzerne County
DecidedMarch 11, 1970
Docketno. 9
StatusPublished

This text of 49 Pa. D. & C.2d 544 (Bartek v. Wyoming Valley West School District) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Luzerne County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bartek v. Wyoming Valley West School District, 49 Pa. D. & C.2d 544, 1970 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 441 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1970).

Opinion

HOURIGAN, J.,

This is an action in equity brought by residents and owners of property situated in Larksville Borough, Luzerne County, Pa. Plaintiffs are taxpayers who complain against the final budget adopted May 4, 1967, by defendant, the Wyoming Valley West School District. Said budget included a separate assessment in the amount of six mills on the taxpayers of Larksville Borough to pay a bonded indebtedness incurred by Larksville Borough School District.

Plaintiffs challenge the propriety of the budget adopted by defendant for the fiscal period July 1, 1967 to June 30, 1968, and the related action thereto. They seek to restrain by injunction, preliminary and per[546]*546petual, the levying of the separate assessment in the amount of six mills on the taxpayers of Larksville pursuant to the adoption of the aforementioned budget by defendant. Plaintiffs also seek to restrain the collection of the aforesaid separate six mill tax, and they request the amendment of the aforesaid budget to delete the separate assessment of the six mill tax.

I. STATEMENT OF PLEADINGS AND ISSUES RAISED

The complaint was filed August 21, 1967, and preliminary objections were filed by defendant on September 11, 1967. The prehminary objections were argued before the court and disposed of by Judge Bigelow by order of May 22, 1968, directing defendant to file a responsive pleading. Defendant filed its answer and new matter on June 12, 1968. On December 16, 1968, plaintiffs filed their reply to new matter. The case was listed for trial. At trial, plaintiffs’ counsel admitted on the record all facts pleaded by defendant in its answer and new matter. Plaintiffs offered no testimony or exhibits, and rested only on the question of law raised by the admitted facts.

The issues are:

1. Whether debt contracted for current operating expenses for a period of years prior to September 12, 1961, evidenced by funding bonds issued after September 12,1961, shall be the exclusive obligation of the district which issued such bonds pursuant to a final decree of court finding the debt to be for current operating expenses, or whether such shall be assumed by the reorganized district?
2. Whether a reorganized district which fails to levy a separate assessment pursuant to the School District Reorganization Act of August 8, 1963, P. L. 564, sec. 3, as amended June 2,1965, P. L. 86, sec. 1,24 PS §2-298(b), for the first school year of operation [547]*547is precluded from subsequently levying such separate assessment for that year and/or for subsequent years?

II. FINDINGS OF FACT

1. Plaintiffs are John and Lottie Bartek, 103 West Broadway, Larksville, Pa.; John and Emily O’Kane, R. 360 Vine Street, Larksville, Pa.; Peter and Viola Chorey, 52 Nesbitt Street, Larksville, Pa.; Charles and Anna Bowman, 29 Second Street, Larksville, Pa., residents and owners of real estate situate in the Borough of Larksville, Luzerne County, Pa., and have paid and will pay taxes in the future duly assessed against them as owners thereof, and they bring this action on behalf of themselves and all other taxpayers similarly situated, particularly all members of the Larksville Protective Property Owners Association, since the number of taxpayers is so numerous as to make it impractical for all of them to be joined as parties.

2. Defendant is Wyoming Valley West School District, a reorganized school district consisting of school districts formerly in Forty Fort, Swoyersville, Luzerne, Kingston, Pringle, Courtdale, Edwardsville, Larksville and Plymouth, all in Luzerne County, Pa., with its principal office at 386 Wyoming Avenue, Kingston, Pa.

3. Defendant was established as a school district on July 1, 1966, and prior thereto, from January 15, 1966, to June 30, 1966, began operations through its interim operating committee.

4. May 4, 1967, defendant adopted its final budget and taxing resolutions attendant thereto for the fiscal period July 1, 1967, to June 30, 1968.

5. Said budget included a separate assessment in the amount of six mills on the taxpayers of Larksville.

6. Said assessment was not included in the budget of defendant for its previous fiscal year, July 1, 1966, [548]*548through June 30,1967.

7. The aforesaid separate six mill assessment was included by defendant pursuant to the School District Reorganization Act of 1963, 24 PS §2-298(b).

8. The School District of the Borough of Larksville petitioned the Court of Quarter Sessions of Luzerne County, filed September 8, 1961, to September sessions 1961, no. 465, for authority to fund unfunded debt contracted for current operating expenses in the amount of $106,611.75 incurred prior to September 1, 1961. The preliminary order was granted on September 8, 1961, and the final order was granted September 28, 1961.

9. Pursuant to said order, the School District of the Borough of Larksville floated a bond in coupon form, numbered from one to 106.

10. Larksville School District paid the principal and interest from 1962 through June 30, 1966, as evidenced by coupons numbered one through 46.

11. The bond issue of Larksville Borough School District in question in this action, consists of bonds numbered 47 through 106.

12. All the bonds aforesaid constituted funding issues of debts contracted or incurred for a period of years prior to September 12,1961.

13. Defendant school district was not apprised of the existence of the aforementioned bond issue until January 1967 upon audit of books of Larksville School District.

14. Plaintiffs are without an adequate remedy at law.

III. DISCUSSION OF FACTS AND LAW

Our first duty is to inquire into the existence of jurisdiction of equity: Harris-Walsh Inc. v. Dickson City Borough, 420 Pa. 259, 263 (1966). Defendant argues that plaintiffs have an available statutory [549]*549remedy in assumpsit in the Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne County under the provisions of the Act of May 25, 1945, P. L. 1050, 72 PS §5511.1 (Local Tax Collection Law, as amended), or, in the alternative, plaintiffs may bring an action in mandamus. We conclude that even if these actions would he, equity has jurisdiction where the power to levy and collect an assessment is the issue: Young Men’s Christian Association v. Reading, 402 Pa. 592 (1961); Cherrie v. Greater Nanticoke Area School District, 40 D. & C. 2d 739, 56 Luz. 241 (1966); and Murman, Etc. v. Duryea Borough School District, 52 Luz. 171 (1962).

Defendant school district would distinguish the Cherrie case from the matter at hand on the basis that in Cherrie the equitable remedy was sought prior to the effective date of the budget therein involved, while in the present litigation plaintiffs waited until after defendant school district had commenced operations, collections and expenditures under the budget here at issue, and thus plaintiffs must proceed for refund under the Local Tax Collection Law.

However, the tax herein sought to be enjoined is an assessment continuing for a period of years into the future until the bonded indebtedness is paid. To preclude a remedy containing injunctive relief, if such is determined to be a proper remedy, would require a lawsuit each time the tax is paid in the future.

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Related

Harris-Walsh, Inc. v. Dickson City Borough
216 A.2d 329 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1966)
Young Men's Christian Ass'n v. Reading
167 A.2d 469 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1961)
Baederwood Center, Inc. v. Putney
133 A.2d 836 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1957)
Kaufman Construction Co. v. Holcomb
55 A.2d 534 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1947)
White Township School Directors Appeal
150 A. 744 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1930)
Grime v. Department of Public Instruction
188 A. 337 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1936)
Pittston Debt Funding Case
172 Pa. Super. 55 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 1952)

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Bluebook (online)
49 Pa. D. & C.2d 544, 1970 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 441, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bartek-v-wyoming-valley-west-school-district-pactcomplluzern-1970.