City of Bellefontaine v. Haviland

3 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 99, 15 Ohio Dec. 482, 1905 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 24
Logan County Court of Common Pleas·Decided March 6, 1905·Published

Opinion

Dow, J.

The city of Bellefontaine, by its solicitor, William W. Riddle, under the provisions of Section 1774, Revised Statutes of Ohio, and by 'authority of the resolution of the city council, brings this action against William T. Haviland, alleging that the defendant, ever since the first Monday of May, 1903, has been and now is the mayor of said city; that on the 11th of December, 1902, the council thereof passed an ordinance fixing the salary of the mayor in the following terms, to-wit, “the mayor of said city shall receive, in addition to legal fees otherwise authorized by law, a salary of three hundred dollars per annum”; that between the first Monday of May, 1903, and the 14th day of October, 1904, said defendant, as such mayor, received fees or costs from divers persons convicted before him for violation of ordinances, the sum of $483.60, which coste were the same in amount as authorized by law to be charged by justices- of the peace for similar services; that no ordinance was ever passed by the council fixing the costs of the mayor of said city in hearing and determining prosecutions for the [100]*100violation of' the penal ordinances thereof; that the defendant has wrongfully detained from the treasury of said city said sum of money, and judgment is asked for the amount.

A general demurrer has been filed by the defendant to the petition. Two reasons- are given in argument, upon the part of the defendant, why the demurrer should be sustained and the petition dismissed:

First. Because the mayor is authorized by law to collect and retain the fees for which this action is brought.

Second. That if the mayor was without authority to collect the fees sued for, by reason of the failure of council to first fix and determine by ordinance what fees or costs the mayor was authorized to tax against a defendant, then the city is without authority to collect the same from the mayor.

If either of these propositions, claimed by the defendant, is determined in his favor, the demurrer would have to be sustained and the petition dismissed.

We will first examine and determine the second proposition. It is claimed, upon the part of the plaintiff, that under the provisions of Section 126 of the Municipal Code, 96 Ohio Laws, page 61, being Section 1536-633 of the Revised Statutes, that these fees sued for should be paid into the city treasury and that a right of action has aerrued to the city therefor. This section reads as follows:

“Council shall fix the salaries of all officers-, clerks and employes in the city government except as otherwise provided in this act; and, except as otherwise provided in this act, all fees pertaining to any office shall be paid into the city treasury. ’ ’

It will be noted that this section provides that all fees pertaining to an office, except as otherwise provided, shall be paid into the city treasury. What fees, under the provisions of this section, if any, pertaining to his office, was the mayor authorized to collect, and, as claimed, should have been paid into the city treasury? Evidently, -only such, fees as he was authorized, as mayor, to receive or collect. Fees do not pertain to an office for services unless they are prescribed by law. ,

Clark v. Commissioners, 58 O. S., 107: I read only one sentence from the opinion of the court:

[101]*101“It is well settled that a public officer is not entitled to receive pay for services out of the public treasury, unless there is some statute authorizing the same. Services performed for the public where no provision is made by statute for the payment, are regarded as a gratuity or as being compensated by the fees, privileges and emoluments accruing to such officer, in matters pertaining to Ms office.” 3d Nisi Prius, 112.

Section 1536-790, being Section 1843 of the Revised Statutes, prescribes how the mayor’s fees shall be fixed, as follows (that is, mayor’s fees of cities and villages) :

“The costs of the mayor and other officers, in all eases, shall be fixed by ordinance, but in no case greater than the fees for similar services before justices of the peace, and in ease of conviction, the fees of officers, jurors and witnesses shall be taxed against the parties convicted, and in case of acquittal of the violation of an ordinance, the costs, except the fees of the mayor and marshal, shall be taxed against the corporation. ’ ’

- It is admitted in paragraph 3 of the petition that no ordinance was ever passed by the council of said city, nor does any ordinance exist in the city, fixing or prescribing the rights or fees of the mayor of the city for his services as such, rendered in hearing and determining prosecutions for violation of penal ordinances of the city.

If the mayor was without authority to tax and collect such costs, unless an ordinance had first been passed, authorizing such taxation and collection, then the city is also without authority to receive and retain such costs, for the same reason.

. The fees that the mayor is required to pay into the city treasury under Section 126 of the code, are the legal fees and not the fees collected from defendants without authority of law. I am of the opinion that the mayor was without authority to tax or collect from defendants for violation of ordinances any sum whatever as fees or costs until the council had first determined, by ordinance, the amount he should so tax. If any person is authorized to recover such costs from the mayor, it is the parties who have been illegally required to pay the same.

This ease being submitted upon demurrer and the only question necessary to the determination thereof being the right of [102]*102the plaintiff to recover upon the averments of the petition, and being of the opinion that the mayor was without authority to tax or collect any such fees until council shall have complied with Section 1843 of the Revised Statutes fixing the fees, I hold that the city is also without authority to collect or receive the same.

The question as to whether the mayors of cities have the right to retain costs collected from defendants in cases for the violation of ordinances, or whether the same should be paid into the city treasury, is one that the court might decline to decide at this time, for the reason that the determination thereof, can not affect the judgment upon the demurrer, but, in view of the fact that the city will probably pass the necessary ordinance, fixing the fees of the mayor in ordinance cases, as provided in said Section 1843, now Sub-section 790 of Section 1536, which was unrepealed by the code, then the question will arise whether the costs of the mayor in such cases should be paid into the city treasury, as provided in Section 126 of the code, or whether under the provisions of Section 1751, Revised Statutes, he is entitled to receive the same. This being an important question, I have concluded to pass on this ground of the demurrer as well as the other.

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City of Bellefontaine v. Haviland, 3 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 99, 15 Ohio Dec. 482, 1905 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 24 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1905).

3 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 99 (City of Bellefontaine v. Haviland) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.