Fort v. Oklahoma Industries, Inc.

1963 OK 210, 385 P.2d 470, 1963 Okla. LEXIS 476
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 1, 1963
Docket40482
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 1963 OK 210 (Fort v. Oklahoma Industries, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fort v. Oklahoma Industries, Inc., 1963 OK 210, 385 P.2d 470, 1963 Okla. LEXIS 476 (Okla. 1963).

Opinion

WILLIAMS, Justice.

This original action for injunction was filed by George E. Fort, a resident taxpayer and property owner in Oklahoma City, for himself and others similarly situated. Defendants are Oklahoma Industries, Inc., a corporation, Oklahoma City Industrial and Cultural Facilities Trust, a trust, and Luther T. Dulaney, Jean Everest, Edward L. Gaylord, John Kilpatrick, Jr., and Dean A. McGee, trustees of the named trust.

After the action was filed, Merton M. Bulla, William G. Kessler and Charles G. Humble were permitted to file brief amici curiae.

On the 15th day of December, 1962, defendant corporation, Oklahoma Industries, Inc., caused to be formed the Oklahoma City Industrial and Cultural Facilities Trust under the provisions of 60 O.S.1961 §§ 176 to 180, both inclusive, known as the Public Trust Law. A provision of that law is that the purpose of such a trust may be the furtherance or providing of funds for the furtherance of any authorized or proper function of the beneficiary municipality.

The purposes of the trust here involved are stated generally to be “to promote the development of industry and Culture and industrial, manufacturing, cultural and educational activities within and without the territorial limits of the City of Oklahoma City”; “to purchase, acquire, construct, re-construct, extend, install, equip, maintain, repair, supply, enlarge, remodel, sell, lease, furnish or otherwise deal in any property, building, improvement, and facilities to he sold, leased or furnished to or occupied by the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center * * * for use as a public museum or for other educational and cultural purposes and uses necessary and incident thereto.”

Specifically, the trustor and trustees apparently have in mind that in addition to assisting the Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center, the trustees will help to bring new industry to the Oklahoma City area through the means of acquiring the necessary lands and the construction thereon of suitable installations for the use of certain named and any other business concerns possible, and lease same to them, thereby obviating the necessity of that much capital outlay on the part of such industries.

The trust indenture gives the trustees practically unlimited power to do all things necessary to perform the foregoing purposes and functions. Meder v. City of Okla. City et al., Okl., 350 P.2d 916. The duration of the trust is stated to be “for the term of duration of the beneficiary and un *472 til such time as its purpose shall have been fully fulfilled, or until it shall be terminated * * * ” (following section 177 of the Public Trust statute to which reference was above made).

Provision was made that the trust estate shall consist of funds and property presently in the hands of the trustees and any properties, funds, leasehold rights, money, and all other things of value coming into the possession of the trustees pursuant to tire trust indenture. The trust indenture provides “that no property or revenues of the City of Oklahoma City shall be mortgaged, pledged, or otherwise encumbered to secure any trust indebtedness except that any leasehold interest acquired from said City may be mortgaged, pledged or encumbered by the Trustees.”

The City of Oklahoma City was made the beneficiary of the trust. By Ordinance No. 10,000, passed December 18, 1962, the City Council of Oklahoma City approved the trust indenture and accepted the trust as the beneficiary thereof.

In view of the public importance of this matter and the need for an early decision, we have determined to accept original jurisdiction. Meder v. City of Oklahoma City et al., supra.

Pursuant to equitable principles developed as a part of the common law of Oklahoma, a public trust may lawfully issue its bonds to be repaid solely from income or revenue. See Board of County Commissioners of Oklahoma County v. Warram, Okl., 285 P.2d 1034; Morris v. City of Okla. City et al., Okl., 299 P.2d 131; and Meder v. City of Oklahoma City et al., supra.

In the case of Board of County Commissioners of Oklahoma County v. Warram, supra, in the first paragraph of the syllabus, this Court said:

“A valid trust in property, with a governmental entity as beneficiary, may be created for the furtherance, or the providing of funds for the furtherance, of any public function which the governmental entity might be authorized by law to perform * *

An amendment to our State Constitution, Article 10, § 35, became effective May 1, 1962. That amendment authorized cities and towns to finance the acquisition and development of industry and industrial improvements and facilities through the means of the voting and issuance of revenue bonds. Since the adoption of such amendment and pursuant to the Public Trust Act, supra (60 O.S.1961 §§ 176 to 180, both inclusive), the developing and securing of industry is an authorized and proper function of the trustees of a public trust of which a municipality is the beneficiary.

It is to be noted that another statute, the Local Industrial Development Act, 62 O.S. 1961 §§ 651 through 664, provides for the accomplishment of a municipality’s or county’s purposes of securing or developing industry within or near itself under the terms and provisions of the Public Trust Law through the means of the issuance and sale of the bonds of a trust repayable from income or revenue but requires that the public trust in that case, for the issuance of such bonds, have the approval of a majority of the qualified electors of the municipality or county voting at an election called for that purpose.

The plaintiff alleges and the parties have stipulated that “the trustees are presently threatening and proposing to issue revenue bonds as provided for under the Trust Indenture without complying with the terms and provisions of 62 O.S.1961 §§ 651 to 664 inclusive.”

Under Points II, III, and IV of his brief plaintiff contends that the Local Industrial Development Act is a specific act which supersedes the Public Trust Act insofar as the financing of improvements and facilities for securing and developing industry is concerned.

Plaintiff in argument relies upon section 11 of the Local Industrial Development Act (62 O.S.1961 § 661) wherein in sub-sec.tion (a) the word “Trustees” is stated to mean *473 “the trustees appointed by the governing body of any municipality or the hoard of county commissioners to carry out the provisions of this act, and as provided in 60 O.S.1951, §§ 176-180, inclusive, as amended by Sections 1 and 2, Chapter 4, Title 60, page 277, Oklahoma Session Laws 1953 * * * »

Plaintiff’s contention is that the Legislature by such definition intended to amend 60 O.S.1961 §§ 176-180 so as to require, on the part of a trust sought to be created under the Public Trust Law (60 O.S.1961 §§ 176-180), compliance .also with the requirements of the Local Industrial Development Act (62 O.S.1961 §§ 651-664).

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Related

Shipp v. Southeastern Oklahoma Industries Authority
1972 OK 98 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1972)
Application of Southern Oklahoma Dev. Trust
470 P.2d 572 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1970)
Morrison v. Ardmore Industrial Development Corp.
444 P.2d 816 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1968)
Oklahoma City v. Morris
1965 OK 104 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1965)
Application of County Courthouse Building Com'n
1965 OK 94 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1965)

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Bluebook (online)
1963 OK 210, 385 P.2d 470, 1963 Okla. LEXIS 476, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fort-v-oklahoma-industries-inc-okla-1963.