Columbus v. Baldasaro

123 N.E.2d 290, 70 Ohio Law. Abs. 411, 55 Ohio Op. 163, 1954 Ohio App. LEXIS 817
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 22, 1954
DocketNo. 5065
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 123 N.E.2d 290 (Columbus v. Baldasaro) 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
Columbus v. Baldasaro, 123 N.E.2d 290, 70 Ohio Law. Abs. 411, 55 Ohio Op. 163, 1954 Ohio App. LEXIS 817 (Ohio Ct. App. 1954).

Opinion

OPINION

By HORNBECK, J.

This is an appeal on questions of law from sentence and judgment on conviction of defendant-appellant of the offense of using a dwelling as a rooming house without a permit from the building inspector of the City of Columbus. The premises involved were what is known as 16 West Goodale Street. The ordinance which it was claimed was violated is “Section 616 City Code (Penalty Sec. ID.”

We hereinafter refer to the appellee, as plaintiff and the appellant, as defendant. Defendant tested the validity of the proceedings in practically every way known to the law.

Motion to quash, setting out six grounds, was filed and overruled. A motion to quash reaches only such defects as are apparent upon the face of the record. No one specified in the motion so appears. Motion was properly sustained.

Defendant requested a Bill of Particulars of six separate, detailed statements. Defendant cites in support of his right to request such bill, State v. Hutton, 132 Oh St 461, which it is claimed overruled our opinion in State v. Gutilla, 59 Abs 289, wherein we held that §4576 GC, had no application to the Municipal Court of the City of Columbus. When we are required to decide the effect of State v. Hutton on the Gutilla case, we will have a serious question. We do not reach it here for the reason that, if it be granted that the defendant was entitled to a Bill of Particulars, he was entitled to no one of the detailed statements which are the subject matter of his request. The request was properly refused.

Defendant demurred to the affidavit upon the grounds that the Building Code of the City of Columbus, and particularly Division 14, of Chapter 48, is unconstitutional. Counsel relates the ordinance to no provision of our State or Federal Constitution and it does not appear that the ordinance offends either Constitution. The demurrer was properly sustained.

The cause came on for trial, plaintiff offered its evidence and rested. The defendant moved for dismissal of the affidavit which was overruled. This motion was renewed at the close of defendant’s evidence. These actions of the court are questioned by the assignments of error. We will discuss them later.

The court upon consideration of the evidence found the defendant guilty as charged and sentenced him accordingly. Motion for new trial was filed and overruled and this action is made the subject of one of the assignments of error, which we discuss later. Defendant requested separate findings of fact and conclusions of law “as required by §11421-2 GC, [414]*414or related criminal statutes”. The section cited relates only to civil actions and there is no like provision in the criminal code of which we have any knowledge. The court correctly denied this request.

Defendant claims that the finding and judgment are not supported by and are contrary to the evidence.

We consider the assignments which we have heretofore reserved.

It is basic, as stated in 28 O. Jur. 492, that,

“Statutory provisions requiring the publication of ordinances are generally regarded as mandatory, and a substantial compliance with such provisions is therefore ordinarily essential to the validity of an ordinance. And by express statutory provision” (§§4233 GC, 731.26 R. C.), “the fact that there was no legal publication or posting of an ordinance constitutes a sufficient defense to any suit or prosecution thereunder.”

Cases are cited supporting the text. Defendant asserts that the ordinance in question and particularly the section under which he is prosecuted is invalid because proper publication of its enactment was not made.

The Municipal Court judge who tried this case and this court are required to take judicial notice of any applicable ordinance of the City of Columbus. Orose v. Hodge Drive-It-Yourself Co., 132 Oh St 607. But he or we are not required to take judicial notice of what procedural steps were followed in the enactment of such ordinances. Such information is available from the record as to two ordinances only, 826-52, passed September 29, 1952, published in the City Bulletin of the City of Columbus, October 4, 1952, and 1116-52, passed December 8, 1952, and published December 13, 1952. The pertinent part of these ordinances evidently was drawn and published to meet the requirement of §4230 GC, as it relates to new matter in city ordinances. Sec. 4230 GC, insofar as applicable, reads:

“* * * A new ordinance so published in book form which has not been published according to law, and which contains entirely new matter shall be published as heretofore required by law, provided however, that if such revision or codification is made by a municipality, and the same contains new matter, it shall be sufficient publication of such codification, including such new matter, to publish, in the manner required by law as to the enactment of the ordinances, a notice of the enactment of such codifying ordinance, containing the title of such ordinance and a summary of the new matters covered by the same. * * *”

From the language of the above mentioned ordinances, it is established that the sections thereof germane to this prosecution and this appeal, contain new matter. To comply with the mandate of §4230 GC, it was necessary for the City to set forth in the publication of the ordinance, 1116-52, implementing the codifying ordinance, 826-52, “the title of such ordinance and a summary of the new matters covered by the same”.

Ordinance No. 826-52 recites its purpose, the adoption of a new revision and codification of the ordinances of the City of Columbus, which has been completed: that all ordinances * * * included in said Code have been duly published * * except * * *, and Chapter 48 relative to the Building Code,

“of which notice of inclusion in the said Code is hereby given in accordance with §4230 GC,”
“That the City Clerk * * is * * authorized and directed to publish a [415]*415notice of the enactment of this ordinance and a summary of the new matter contained in said Code, as provided by 4230 GC.”

It will be noted that 4230 GC, provides that the publication of title and subject matter of new ordinances shall be made with and at the same time as publication of the codification ordinance. This was not done and the purported summary was not made a part of the Ordinance No. 826-52, passed September 29, 1952, published October 4, 1952, but carried into the subsequent ordinance No. 1116-52, passed December 8, 1952, and published December 18, 1952. If we are correct in our interpretation of the intendment of §4230 GC, the provisions of the former ordinance were not completé. If complete, the publication of the first ordinance on October 4, 1952, was in accord with the requirement of Section 35 of the City Charter of/the City of Columbus, that “Every ordinance or resolution shall be published at least once in the City Bulletin within twenty days after its final passage * *

Did the ordinance, No. 1116-52 and its publication comply with §4230 GC, as it purported to do? Its stated purpose was to accomplish the publication of the new matter contained in the revision and recodification of the Code of the City of Columbus. The pertinent part of the ordinance is as follows:

“Section 1.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
123 N.E.2d 290, 70 Ohio Law. Abs. 411, 55 Ohio Op. 163, 1954 Ohio App. LEXIS 817, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/columbus-v-baldasaro-ohioctapp-1954.