Casey v. Smith

46 S.W.2d 38, 185 Ark. 149, 1932 Ark. LEXIS 57
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedFebruary 15, 1932
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 46 S.W.2d 38 (Casey v. Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Casey v. Smith, 46 S.W.2d 38, 185 Ark. 149, 1932 Ark. LEXIS 57 (Ark. 1932).

Opinion

Mehaeey, J.

Appellant, as a citizen and taxpayer, began this suit in the Hempstead Chancery Court against the appellees, as directors of the Hope Special School District, praying that they be enjoined and restrained from incurring any further indebtedness or borrowing any money or issuing any warrants as directors of said district during the present fiscal year, except as may be necessary to pay the principal and semiannual interest payments, maturing on bonded indebtedness during the present fiscal year.

He alleged that on March 25, 1931, the bonded indebtedness of the district exceeded 7 per cent, of the total assessed valuation of all the real and personal property in said district, as shown by the last county assessment, and that said bonded indebtedness had been at all times since then, and is now, in excess of 7 per cent, of the assessed valuation of all property in said district. He alleged that the total non-bonded indebtedness, July 1, 1931, was $80,200, and that this was the maximum amount of said nonbonded indebtedness during said year, and all of this amount had been paid out of the year’s revenue except $25,000.

He further alleged that the nonbonded indebtedness and the amount set aside to pay principal and interest on the bonded indebtedness, falling due the remainder of the fiscal year, is $63,000, and that the total revenues which will be received by said district during the remainder of the fiscal year will not exceed $63,000.

He alleged that the directors were still operating the schools and incurring further indebtednéss, and that, in order to complete the school term, it would be necessary to incur further indebtedness, so that at the end of the present fiscal year, the nonbonded indebtedness of the district will aggregate $80,200 and that the directors proposed to continue the schools and incur other indebtedness until it aggregated $80,200, and, unless restrained, they would borrow from individuals and banks, or from next year’s revenues, and issue warrants therefor, to the amount of $80,200; that this sum would be in excess of the revenues for the remainder of the present fiscal year, and the next succeeding fiscal year, thereby causing plaintiff and other taxpayers to suffer great, and irreparable loss, and that he has no adequate remedy at law.

He alleged that the district did not.have power to do these things, and that the borrowing of money, as the directors proposed to do, was in direct violation of act 169 of the Acts of the G-eneral Assembly of 1931.

The appellees demurred to the complaint, stating: “First. The complaint does not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action. ■

“Second. The complaint does not state facts sufficient to entitle plaintiff to any of the relief prayed for therein.”

The court sustained the demurrer, and appellant re-, fused to plead further, and his complaint was dismissed. The case is here on appeal.

At the time act 169 was approved, the Hope Special School District had issued bonds, exclusive of interest, to the extent of 7 per cent, of the assessed valuation of the real and personal property in the district as shown by the last county assessment. The outstanding non-bonded indebtedness of the district was $80,200 on July 1, 1931. This sum was the maximum nonbonded indebtedness during the fiscal year preceding July 1, 1931.

The revenues of the district for 1931,1932 were used by the district in the payment'of the nonbonded indebtedness existing prior to July 1, 1931, reducing the non-bonded indebtedness to $25,000, and the schools had been operating by anticipating the revenues of 1932-1933.

The directors propose to continue the school for,the term by borrowing from 'banks, individuals, or from next year’s revenue, 'but not to exceed $80,200', maximum non-bonded indebtedness in the fiscal year ending July 1, 1931.

Act 169 provides that districts may borrow money and issue bonds for the repayment thereof from school funds, for the building and equipment of school buildings, mailing additions and repairs thereto,, purchasing sites therefor, and for funding any indebtedness created for any purpose and outstanding at the time of the passage of the act. Act 169, § 59, of the Acts of 1931.

Section 60 provides that: “No bonds shall be issued at any time that would make the total of outstanding bonded indebtedness of the district at that time, exclusive of interest, exceed 7 per cent, of the assessed valuation of the real and personal property in the district as shown by the last county assessment. This shall not prohibit bond issues refunding present bonded indebtedness that exceeds 7 per cent.”

It is first contended by appellant that the board of directors has no authority to borrow money for the operation of the schools. He cites and relies on Arkansas National Bank v. School District No. 99, 152 Ark. 507, 238 S. W. 630, where the court said: “It is the settled rule in this State that school districts have and can exercise only such powers as are expressly granted, and such incidental ones as are necessary to make those powers available and effective.”

Attention is called to some other cases, but it may be stated as the settled rule announced in all the cases, that school districts can exercise only such powers as are granted by the Legislature and such incidental powers as are necessary to the proper exercise of the powers granted. 'School districts derive all of their powers from the Legislature.

It is contended by the appellant that § 59 of act 169 of 1931 provides that the only power granted to borrow is for the things mentioned in said secltion,, namely the building' and equipment of school buildings, making additions thereto', purchasing sites therefor, and for funding any indebtedness created for any purpose and outstanding at the passage of the act. If this contention of appellant were correct, the board of directors would, of course, have no power to borrow money to operate the schools.

Section 97 of act 169, however, provides among other things: “Budgets for districts, having a city of 2,500 or more population, which employ a superintendent, shall be approved by the city superintendent and need not be submitted to the county board of education for approval, but shall be filed with the county superintendent for record, provided nothing* in this provision shall prevent any school board from borrowing money from banks, individuals, or from next year’s revenue, in order to provide funds in such amount that the maximum non-bonded indebtedness of their school district so incurred shall not be greater than the maximum nonbonded indebtedness of such districts was at any time during the preceding fiscal year.”

To ascertain the intention of the Legislature, we must consider the whole act, and each part or section must be construed in connection with every other part or section, so as to produce a harmonious whole. The part of § 97 quoted must mean something, and another portion of § 97 provides that in ease of an emergency the State Board of Education may grant special permission to a district to create a temporary current - indebtedness.

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Related

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424 S.W.2d 537 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1968)
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54 S.W.2d 411 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1932)

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Bluebook (online)
46 S.W.2d 38, 185 Ark. 149, 1932 Ark. LEXIS 57, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/casey-v-smith-ark-1932.