City of Geneseo v. Shearer

157 N.E. 23, 326 Ill. 82
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedApril 20, 1927
DocketNo. 17805. Judgment affirmed.
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 157 N.E. 23 (City of Geneseo v. Shearer) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Geneseo v. Shearer, 157 N.E. 23, 326 Ill. 82 (Ill. 1927).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Farmer

delivered the opinion of the court:

On May 24, 1926, the mayor and city council of the city of Geneseo, Blinois, passed, adopted and approved a local improvement ordinance for grading, draining and paving certain described portions of Oakwood avenue and Main street. The ordinance recited that the whole cost of the improvement as set forth in the engineer’s estimate attached thereto, except the sum of $24,450, be paid for by special assessment, to be levied upon property specially benefited to the amount that such property might be legally assessed therefor under the Local Improvement act of 1897 and amendments thereto, and also by general taxation; that the sum of $24,450 should not be assessed against property benefited or raised by general taxation, for the reason that the State of Illinois, by its duly authorized agents, had undertaken and agreed to and with the city to pay that amount direct to the contractor as the cost of that portion of the improvement adopted and to be constructed by the State in accordance with the statutes of the State. A petition was filed on May 25, 1926, in the county court of Henry county by the city of Geneseo, setting forth its incorporation by special charter granted by the legislature in 1865, the adoption by the city in 1872 of article 9 of the Cities and Villages act of 1872, and that the Local Improvement act of 1897 was in full force in the city. The petition further set out the adoption and approval of the ordinance as submitted and recommended by the board of local improvements of the city, the approval of the estimate of cost of the improvement and of the recommendation of the board of local improvements. A copy of the ordinance, recommendation of the board of local improvements and the estimate of cost were attached to and made a part of the petition. The petition also recited that the State of Illinois had agreed to pay $24,450 of the total cost of the improvement, and prayed that steps be taken to levy a special assessment in accordance with the provisions of the ordinance and the Local Improvement act. The recommendation by the board of local improvements submitting the improvement ordinance for passage and adoption by the city council and the estimate of the cost of the proposed work were dated May 24, 1926. The estimate as prepared and sub-, mitted included all the necessary work as contemplated by the board of local improvements and as set out in the ordinance, and the total cost thereof was $56,300.45. An order was entered by the county court authorizing and directing Jerome J. Arnett to spread the assessment. The assessment roll was filed May 2y, 1926. The report and certificate accompanying the assessment list showed it to have been made in accordance with the improvement ordinance pertaining thereto. The total sum of the roll was $31,-850.45, of which sum $2500 was assessed against the public as public benefits. A hearing was had on the confirmation of the assessment roll, to which certain property owners (some of whom, at least, are appellants here,) filed ninety-one separate and distinct objections. Four of these were withdrawn and all the remaining legal objections' were overruled. On June 22, 1926, the court entered judgment confirming the special assessment proceedings. From that judgment the objectors have prosecuted an appeal to this court.

After the perfection of the appeal the city of Geneseo by its counsel made a motion in this court to strike the bill of exceptions from the transcript of the record for the reason that the original bill of exceptions was incorporated into the transcript without its consent. The motion was allowed and the bill of exceptions was stricken.

We have previously stated the large number of objections filed by appellants, who say such were made necessary by the total disregard on the part of the city of the usual and customary terms and provisions of the Local Improvement act. It is in our judgment unnecessary to consider all the detailed contentions discussed in the briefs of appellants, and we are somewhat limited in our consideration of points made on account of the striking of the bill of exceptions. The chief contention of appellants, and in reality the only one of any consequence, may be said to be that the city of Geneseo in this improvement proceeding has assumed powers which have never been given to it by statute.

We presume we are warranted in saying, from statements made in the briefs of counsel, that this proposed improvement of a part of Oakwood avenue and Main street is a part of State Bond Issue Route No. 7 as designated under the act of 1917 (Laws of 1917, p. 696,) providing for a State-wide system of durable, hard-surfaced roads, and that such route along and over the streets here involved has been fixed and designated by the Department of Public Works and Buildings of the State of Illinois. The pavement contemplated varies in width, as we understand it, but is to connect with the completed eighteen-foot pavement of Route No. 7 near the south end of Oakwood avenue, in the city of Geneseo, thence extend , north on said avenue to Main street, and thence west on Main street to within a few feet of the completed pavement of the same Route No. 7 at the westerly limits of the city. As was previously stated, the engineer’s estimate included the work and materials for the entire width of the pavement — a complete and uniform improvement and as contemplated by the board of local improvements. The total estimate was $56,300.45. The ordinance submitted by the board and as passed and adopted by the city, council specified the sum of $24,450 was to be paid by the State; that the State had agreed to pay that sum, and that such amount should neither be charged to the property to be assessed nor raised by general taxation. The assessment roll as spread totaled $31,-850.45, which was exactly the amount of the total estimate, less the sum agreed to be paid by the State for its share of the proposed improvement.

There is no question but that under authority granted to the city of Geneseo by its charter, by the adoption of article 9 of the Cities and Villages act of 1872 and the Local Improvement act of 1897, it had jurisdiction over its streets and power to improve them by special assessment. In June, 1925, this court held in the case of Village of Glencoe v. Hurford, 317 Ill. 203, that neither the State Aid Road act of 1913, the $60,000,000 Bond Issue act of 1917, nor the State Highway System act of 1921 has the effect of taking from cities and villages jurisdiction to improve by special assessment a street connected with the State highway system within the corporate limits of a city or village, as there is no provision in any of those acts which repeals the Local Improvement act or the Cities and Villages act. It was also held in Village of Northbrook v. Sterba, 318 Ill. 360, that the fact that the State had undertaken the improvement of eighteen feet of the center of a street does not deprive a village of the power or authority to improve any other portion of the street. Since the consideration of the laws mentioned in those cases the legislature on June 11, 1925, passed “An act in relation to the construction of durable hard-surfaced roads in cities, villages and towns and making an appropriation therefor.” (Laws of 1925, p. 530.) It provided:

“Sec. 1.

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Bluebook (online)
157 N.E. 23, 326 Ill. 82, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-geneseo-v-shearer-ill-1927.