Drum v. City of Cleveland

13 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 281
CourtCuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
DecidedJune 10, 1912
StatusPublished

This text of 13 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 281 (Drum v. City of Cleveland) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Drum v. City of Cleveland, 13 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 281 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1912).

Opinion

Codlister, J.

This is an action brought by the plaintiff, a tax-payer, on behalf of the city of Cleveland, against said city and certain of its officers, tu restrain said city and said officers from doing any act in consummation of the sale or issuance of certain bonds named and described in the petition.

It is averred in the petition that the solicitor of said city was by plaintiff requested in writing to bring the action, and refused to bring it.

The petition by proper averments pleads the corporate existence of the city, and the official positions of the other defendants.

The petition avers that on the 18th day of September, 1911, the council of said city adopted a resolution declaring the necessity of issuing bonds of said city in excess of an aggregate of 2% per cent, of the total value of all property in the city of Cleveland, listed and assessed for taxation, for the purpose of erecting electric light works, and for supplying light to the corporation and inhabitants thereof, and purchasing the necessary land theréfor. A copy of said resolution is attached to the petition, said copy being in words and figures following, to-wit:

“Resolution declaring the necessity of issuing bonds of the city of Cleveland in excess of an aggregate of 2y2 per cent, of the total value of all property in the city of Cleveland, as listed and assessed for taxation for the purpose of erecting light works and for supplying light to the corporation and inhabitants thereof, and for the purchase of necessary land therefor.
“Be it Resolved, by the council of the city of Cleveland, state of Ohio, two-thirds of all members elected and appointed thereto concurring, that it is necessary to issue and sell bonds of the city of Cleveland in the fiscal year beginning January 1, 1911, for the purpose of erecting electric light works, and for supplying light-to the corporation and the inhabitants thereof, and for pur- • chasing! the necessary land therefor, in an amount in execss of two and one-half per cent. (2y2 per cent.) of the total value of all property in the city of Cleveland' as listed and assessed for taxation, Jb-.wii^in.the..sum..o’f two million dollars ($2.000,000); and that the question of -issuing- and- selling said .bonds .of- said [283]*283city in excess of said two and one-half (2y2) per cent, as aforesaid, that is, in the sum aforesaid, be submitted to a vote of the qualified electors of said city, at the next regular election, occurring after the passage of this resolution, to-wit, on November 7, 1911, at the regular place or places of voting in said city, as established by the board of deputy state supervisors and inspectors of elections of Cuyahoga county, Ohio, between the hours of 5:30 a. m. and 5:30 p. m. ; that said election shall be conducted and certified in the manner provided by law; that the ' question whether such bonds shall be issued shall be put in the form following, to-wit: ‘Shall the bonds of the city of Cleveland-be issued in the sum of $2,000,000 for the purpose of erecting electric light works, and for supplying light to the corporation and the inhabitants thereof, and for purchasing the necessary land therefor’; and those who vote in favor of the'proposition shall have written .or printed on their ballots the words: ‘For the issue of bonds ’; and those who vote against the same shall have written or printed on their ballots the words: ‘Against the issue of bonds’; that the mayor be and he is hereby directed to give public notice of the time and place of holding said election iii the manner provided by law, and that the clerk be and he is hereby directed to certify a copy of this resolution to the board of deputy state supervisors and inspectors of elections of Cuyahog-a countv, Ohio.
“R. Y. McCray, City Clerk.”

The petition avers that said resolution was, on September 19, 1911, approved by the acting mayor of the city; and on said 19th day of September, 1913, the said resolution was certified to the board of deputy state supervisors and inspectors of elections of Cuyahoga county. That on the 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th days of October, 1911, the then mayor of said city caused to be published a notice of election on the question as to whether or not said bonds should be issued. A copy of said notice is attached to the petition, and is in words and figures following:

“Notice of Election. Notice is hereby given that in pursuance of -a resolution of the council of the city of Cleveland, passed September 18, 1911, there will be submitted to the qualified electors of said city at the general election in the city of Cleveland on the 7th day of-November, 1911, between the hours of 5:30 o’clock a. m. and 5:30 o’clock p. m., standard time,-the question of issuing bonds of said city in the-fiscal years begin[284]*284ning January 1, 1911, in an amount in excess of an aggregate of two and one-half per cent. (2yz per cent.) of the total value of all property in the city of Cleveland, as listed and assessed for taxation; that is to say, in the sum of two million dollars ($2,-000,000), for the purpose of erecting electric light works and for supplying light to the corporation and inhabitants thereof and for the purchase of the necessary land therefor. Those who vote in favor of the proposition of issuing bonds as aforesaid shall have written or printed on their ballots ‘For the issue of bonds,’ and those who vote against the same shall have written or printed on their ballots ‘Against the issue of bonds.’
“October 6, 1911. Herman C. Baehr, Mayor.”

The petition avers that there was submitted to the voters of the city of Cleveland, at the regular election held on the 7th day of November, 1911, a ballot on which was written the following:

‘ ‘ Shall the bonds of the city of Cleveland be issued in the sum of two million dollars, for the purpose of erecting electric light works and for supplying light to the corporation and the inhabitants thereof, and for purchasing the necessary land therefor?
“For the issue of the bonds.
“Against the issue of the bonds.”

That at said election more than two-thirds of those voting on said question voted in favor of the issue of said bonds.

The petition further avers, that on the 19th day of February, 1912, the city council of said city passed an ordinance, No. 23930, being “An ordinance to issue bonds in the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000), for the purpose of erecting electric light works and for supplying light to the corporation and the inhabitants thereof, and for the purchase of the necessary land therefor.”

A copy of said ordinance is attached to the petition, and is in words and figures following, to-wit:

“Ordinance No. 23930.
‘ ‘ An Ordinance to issue bonds in the sum of one million dollars for the purpose of erecting electric light works and for supplying light to the corporation and inhabitants thereof, and for the purchase of necessary land therefor.
■ “Whereas, at the general election held in the city of Cleveland, state of Ohio, on the 7th day of November, 1911, the ques[285]

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Bluebook (online)
13 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 281, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/drum-v-city-of-cleveland-ohctcomplcuyaho-1912.