Davis v. Gray

103 S.W.2d 999
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 30, 1937
DocketNo. 12082
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 103 S.W.2d 999 (Davis v. Gray) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davis v. Gray, 103 S.W.2d 999 (Tex. 1937).

Opinions

JONES, Chief Justice.

Appellee, Claude C. Gray, trustee, instituted this suit in a district court of Dallas county against appellant, Lon M. Davis,using the trade name of Davis Gin Company, to recover an alleged indebtedness for paving that portion of Main street in [1000]*1000the city of Floydada, a municipal corporation, on which appellant’s property abutted. The case was tried before the court and resulted in a personal judgment in favor of appellee against appellant, and against ap-pellee as to the foreclosure of the alleged lien. The appeal has been duly perfected to this court and the necessary facts are:

In August, 1928, the city of Floydada declared, by resolution of its city council, the necessity for paving a portion of certain of its streets, including that portion of Main street on which appellant’s property abuts. L. H. Lacy & Co. entered into a contract with said city to do the paving determined upon, under the terms therein specified. All of the steps necessary to be taken, to create a personal indebtedness and fix a lien on the abutting properties that were subject to such lien, were taken by the city, and an ordinance levying a special assessment tax against abutting property owners was adopted. Flowever, the minutes of the various meetings of the said city’s governing body do not disclose that any resolution or ordinance, necessary to create a lien and fix a personal indebtedness, was adopted by the two-thirds vote required by article 1082, R.C.S.1925. The parties agreed that the city of Floydada adopted the paving laws of 1909 (Acts 1909, 2d Called Sess. c. 14, p. 402 [Vernon’s Ann.Civ.St. art. 1086 et seq.]) by an election held in said, city in 1925; that such laws now and at all times since have been in force and effect in said city; and that the paving law, known as the Paving Law of 1927, chapter 106, adopted at the First Called Session of the 40th Legislature (Vernon’s Ann.Civ. St. art. 1105b), has never been adopted,by the voters of the city of Floydada, nor by a resolution of the city council.

So; the Paving Law of 1909, requiring a two-thirds vote before a resolution of the city council, declaring the necessity of a street improvement, can be adopted was in force in such city, and the Paving Law of 1927, having no requirement for the adoption of such resolution by a two-thirds vote of the city council, was not in force. This latter law, by its terms, does not repeal any of the existing improvement laws of this state, but is made cumulative or alternate to the then existing law. Because of this failure of the city of Floydada to adopt the Paving Law of 1927, such paving law cannot be appealed to in this case. The case of Mitchell et al. v. City of Terrell et al., by the Fort Worth Court of Civil Appeals, 96 S.W(2d) 556, and the case of Mitchell et al. v. City of Terrell et al., by this court, 96 S.W.(2d) 801, both of which cases the Supreme Court denied a writ of- error, cannot control in this case, for the reason that the city of Terrell had adopted the Paving Law of 1927. These cases hold that the record of the city council does not have to disclose affirmatively that the necessary resolutions and ordinances were adopted by a two-thirds vote. The case of Reagan v. Murray, by the Court of Civil Appeals at Amarillo, 74 S.W.(2d) 314, would be considered controlling authority in this case, as to the validity of the paving certificate, were it not for the fact that the Supreme Court granted a writ of error in that case. That case arose under a similar record to this case, except it is not shown in such reported case that the defendant had executed a mechanic’s lien contract.

The city issued to the contractor the statutory paving certificate on November 26, 1928, which contains all of the necessary recitals to make it prima facie evidence of the creation of appellant’s indebtedness for paving.

This record discloses that the city of Floydada attempted to .create a statutory indebtedness and lien to pay that portion of the cost of paving to be assessed against the abutting property owners. Under the holding in the case of Reagan v. Murray, supra, the city failed to do so, for the reason that the minutes of the city council do not affirmatively show that the necessary resolution and ordinances to fix such- indebtedness were passed by a two-thirds vote of the city council. The minutes of each meeting, however, do show that the five aider-men with the mayor, constituting the city’s governing body, were present at each respective meeting, and that the motion to adopt a resolution declaring the necessity for street improvements, as well as the motion making the assessment against the abutting property owners, was carried. Whether under the facts of this case there can be 'indulged the presumption that the respective motions were carried by the statutory majority of two-thirds vote, we do not find it necessary to consider, and we dismiss from consideration the attempted creation of a statutory indebtedness in this case; for, under our view of the case, the judgment entered does not depend upon a determination of such question.

This record further discloses that appellant, when he executed what purported [1001]*1001to be a mechanic’s lien contract against his property, created 'by such contract the identical indebtedness which the City attempted to create. In this purported mechanic’s lien, appellant contracted that “* * * in consideration of paving as per specifications on file in the City Engineer’s office, and constructing curbs and gutters upon premises in said street, do agree to pay L. H. Lacy Company'the sum of $1,397.80.” This contract provides for payment of the paving debt in ten annual installments, with interest from date of acceptance of the improvements by the city, at 8 per cent, per annum, payable annually, and for accelerated maturity in case of default in the payment of any installment, and for a reasonable attorney’s fee. The payment of the installments in this contract is the same as to amount and date, when each installment became due, as that provided by the statutory contract the city attempted to create.

It will be noted that the consideration for the making of this contract was not that the city would create by resolution and ordinances a valid indebtedness against appellant, but was that the paving should be done according to the specifications on file in the city engineer’s office, and that the curbs and gutters would be constructed. This plainly appears from this quotation from the contract: “Any error or invalidity in any proceedings of this City with reference to making said improvements, or assessing the cost thereof, * * * are hereby waived.” Again, the contract declares: “In consideration that said City shall make said improvements in said street upon said premises and to secure payment of said street upon said premises and to secure payment of said above amount I do hereby agree to pay the indebtedness evidenced' herein and mortgage said premises to said L. H. Lacy Co. * * * ” There is thus evidenced a binding contract to pay the indebtedness of $1,397.80 in the manner provided for by said contract. The undisputed testimony shows that the paving was laid and the curbing and guttering were constructed and accepted by said City, as a performance of the contract.

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103 S.W.2d 1003 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1937)
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103 S.W.2d 1002 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1937)

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Bluebook (online)
103 S.W.2d 999, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-gray-texcrimapp-1937.