City of Richmond Heights v. LoConti

250 N.E.2d 84, 19 Ohio App. 2d 100, 48 Ohio Op. 2d 227, 1969 Ohio App. LEXIS 558
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 7, 1969
Docket29148
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 250 N.E.2d 84 (City of Richmond Heights v. LoConti) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Richmond Heights v. LoConti, 250 N.E.2d 84, 19 Ohio App. 2d 100, 48 Ohio Op. 2d 227, 1969 Ohio App. LEXIS 558 (Ohio Ct. App. 1969).

Opinion

Silbert, C. J.

This is an appeal on questions of law from a judgment against defendant in the Lyndhurst Municipal Court which has jurisdiction over the city of Richmond Heights.

Defendant was convicted of violating Section 705.05 of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Richmond Heights. That section reads as follows:

“705.05 DISTRIBUTOR’S LICENSE.
“No person shall distribute mechanical amusement devices or juke boxes within the corporate limits by lease, conditional sale or any financial conditional method without a distributor’s license.
“A distributor, also being known as an operator, shall first obtain a distributor’s license from the Mayor upon the payment of the annual license fee of one hundred dollars ($100.00). This license fee shall be for the fiscal year beginning January 1 of the calendar year or for any unexpired portion of the fiscal year.
“Nothing in this section shall be intended to prohibit *102 any person or the owner of a place of business to purchase the mechanical amusement device outright from any source, provided compliance is made for the annual license as here-inbefore set forth and upon presentation of a bill of sale therefor.” (Emphasis added.)

One who so distributes any of the designated devices without first obtaining such a license is to be fined not more than $500. (Section 705.09)

Defendant was arrested, tried and convicted of violation of the ordinance, and was assessed a fine. Defendant brings this appeal.

Several pertinent facts relevant to this case have been set forth in stipulations by the parties, as follows:

“6. Henry LoConti has only one (1) place of business in the city of Richmond Heights in which he installed a juke box. The place of operation is a small pizza shop called DeMarco’s.
“7. Henry LoConti did not purchase the One Hundred Dollar ($100.00) license. Henry LoConti had knowledge of the One Hundred Dollar ($100.00) license, but felt the amount of the license was unjust and confiscatory.
< Í # # #
“9. The cities of South Euclid and Richmond Heights have the same type of distributor’s license. However, Cleveland, Parma and Lakewood do not have a distributor’s license, but do require a location license.
“10. In Richmond Heights, each distributor must purchase an annual license for One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) if he has only one place of business or if he has many. However, within the entire City of Richmond Heights, there are only eight (8) to fifteen (15) possible locations.
“11. The City of Richmond IIeights does not charge a license fee for distributors of towel service, food or beverage distributors, or other distributors operating within the City of Richmond Heights, Ohio.
“12. From January 7, 1965, to December 27, 1965, the gross income derived from one juke box amounted to Five Hundred Fifty Dollars and Sixty Cents ($550.60). This juke box was located at DeMarco’s in Richmond Heights, *103 Ohio. Of this gross income, the location owner received Two Hundred Forty-two Dollars and Eighty-five Cents ($242.85) and the distributor or operator received Three Hundred Seven Dollars and Seventy-five Cents ($307.75). From the latter sum, the distributor or operator paid for his cost of service, repairs, tax, records, other supplies and depreciation.” (All emphasis added.)

In the general index to the Codified Ordinances of the City of Richmond Heights, there are certain items of relevance herein. Under the heading of “Pinball,” there is the notation “(see Mechanical AmusemeNt Devices).” Neither in the index, under the heading, “Mechanical amusement devices,” nor in the text of the ordinances falling within that subject, is there.any reference by name to “pinball” or “pinball machine.” Under the index heading, “Gambling,” there is a subheading, “mechanical amusement devices,” with a reference to Section 705.08. That ordinance provides that no person shall give any prize, etc., to a player or operator of any mechanical amusement device or to a contestant “for a high score on the device.” The same ordinance is referred to under two subheadings within the index heading of “Mechanical amusement devices”: “gambling,” and “prizes or awards.”

Section 705.01 of the city ordinances reads, in its entirety, as follows:

“705.01 DEFINITIONS.
“For the purpose of this chapter:
“(a) ‘Mechanical amusement device’ shall mean a machine which, upon the insertion of a coin or slug, operates or may be operated for use as a game, contest or amusement of any description, or which may be used for any game, contest or amusement and, which contains no automatic pay-off device for the return of money, coins, merchandise or tokens or checks redeemable in money or anything of value.
“(b) ‘Juke box’ shall mean any music vending machine, contrivance or device which, upon the insertion of & coin, slug, token, plate, disc, or key into any slot, crevice, *104 or other opening, or by the payment of any price, operates or may be operated, for the emission of songs, music or simiiar amusement.”

We interpret all of the above to indicate beyond any doubt that:

(1) For certain purposes, especially distribution, the City Council of Richmond Heights has seen fit to consider juke boxes and other mechanical amusement devices as ejusdem generis;
(2) In another connection (prohibition of gambling), the council has chosen to deal only with “mechanical amusement devices,” without mentioning juke boxes. Thus, under the doctrine, inclusio unius est exclusio alterius, it would have to be said that the Council of Richmond Heights does not regard “juke boxes” as being devices intended for, or capable of use in, gambling.

It is widely held that a license fee is not one for the raising of revenue, but is for regulatory purposes only. See, e. g., Pacific Tel. & Tel. Co. v. City of Seattle (1933), 172 Wash. 649, 654, 21 P. 2d 721, 723, affirmed, 291 U. S. 300, 78 L. Ed. 810, 54 S. Ct. 383; Pennsylvania Liquor Control Bd. v. Publicker Commercial Alcohol Co. (1943), 347 Pa. 555, 559-560, 32 A. 2d 914, 917; Malheny v. City of Hutchinson (1942), 154 Kan. 682, 686, 121 P. 2d 227, 230-231, 151 A. L. R. 1187, 1191-1192.

The courts of Ohio concur in this view, and make it clear that the power of a municipality to regulate through the means of a license is a police power under Section 3 of Article XVIII of the Ohio Constitution. Auxter v.

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Bluebook (online)
250 N.E.2d 84, 19 Ohio App. 2d 100, 48 Ohio Op. 2d 227, 1969 Ohio App. LEXIS 558, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-richmond-heights-v-loconti-ohioctapp-1969.