Jackson v. Foster

94 S.W.2d 113, 192 Ark. 712, 1936 Ark. LEXIS 150
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedMay 11, 1936
Docket4-4328
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 94 S.W.2d 113 (Jackson v. Foster) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jackson v. Foster, 94 S.W.2d 113, 192 Ark. 712, 1936 Ark. LEXIS 150 (Ark. 1936).

Opinion

Mehaffy, J.

This action was hegnn by appellees, who are residents and owners of real property in Paving District No. 1 in the city of Bentonville, Arkansas, against the appellants for a restraining order, restraining appellants from wrongfully using State Aid Funds, and from discriminating between real property-owners in said improvement district.

The appellees’ property is not located on the State highway. The improvement district owes approximately $54,000 bonded indebtedness. This indebtedness is a lien on all the real property in the improvement district. The State of Arkansas delivered to the commissioners of said district $30,385.33 State Aid Bonds to be used as provided by law. The commissioners have applied $4,000 of said bonds to the reduction of the bonded indebtedness.

On August 15, 1935, the commissioners of said district adopted the following resolution:

"Whereas, the State of Arkansas has provided for the payment of the cost of paving State highways, improved by improvement districts in the State of Arkansas; and,
"Whereas, in Paving Improvement District Number One of the city of Bentonville, Arkansas, all of Central Avenue lying in the limits of said Paving Improvement District No. One is a State highway, and by reason of the improvement of said State highway on said West Central Avenue and East Central Avenue, the State Refunding Board has issued and delivered to the commissioners of said paving improvement district the sum of $30,385.33', in 'State Aid Certificates; and,
"Whereas, the Board of Improvement of said Paving Improvement District No. One is of the opinion that the said State Aid Bonds were intended to be. used and applied 'by' the commissioners of said district for the purpose of relieving the property-owners in said district fronting upon State Highways Nos. 71 and 72, located in said paving district, and that the real property-owners located on said West Central Avenue and East Central Avenne and lying within said Paving Improvement District No. One, should be the beneficiaries of said payment in bonds by the State of Arkansas.
“Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Board of Commissioners of Paving Improvement District No. One of the city of Bentonville, Arkansas, that said State Certificates be used and expended for the purpose of paying off the assessment of benefits of the real property-owners fronting upon said Highway 71 and No. 72 and lying within the limits of said improvement district, and that the real property located in said paving improvement district and not located on either of said Stale Highways 71 and 72 are not entitled to share in the benefits derived or to be derived from said State Bonds or State Certificates received and held by the commissioners of this district.
“Passed, approved and adopted, this 15th day of August, 1935.
“Approved: (Signed) John B. Applegate,
“Chairman of Board of Commissioners.
“Attest: (Signed) W. E. Jackson, Secretary.”

The appellants filed answer, and the case was tried on the following agreed statement of facts:

“It is agreed that plaintiffs are resident property-owners and own the real property set forth in the petition. That same is within the confines of Paving Improvement District No. 1, and it is further agreed that no part of said real estate is located on a State highway or continuation thereof. That assessment benefits against the real estate of plaintiffs have been made and are now in force by reason of the creation of said district. That W. E. Jackson, John B. Applegate and J. W. Blocher are the commissioners of said district, and at the present time said district is indebted in .the sum of $54,000 for borrowed money, and that said commissioners received the sum of $30,385.33 par value State aid bonds, bearing three per cent, interest from January 1, 1934, and which bonds were issued in accordance with the statutes enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Arkansas providing for State aid to municipal improvement districts improving State highways, and that the commissioners have sold and applied $4,000 of said State aid bonds toward the reduction of its indebtedness.
“It is agreed that the resolution set forth prior hereto was adopted by the Board of Commissioners, and that the properties of the plaintiffs are not located on a continuation of State highways in said district.
“It is agreed that the commissioners are carrying out the purpose and intention of said resolution to give the equitable benefits received from State aid bonds to the real property located on the State highways in said district, and are thereby lowering annual collection benefits levied against the real property located on said State highways in said district, and that said commissioners are not making any reduction of the benefit assessments levied against the real property of plaintiffs. That it is the intention of said commissioners to sell or exchange said State aid bonds, as provided by act No. 166 of the legislative acts of the State of Arkansas, and apply same to the reduction of the bonded indebtedness of said district and are extending to the real property-owners fronting upon the State highways in said district the equitable benefits of such reduction to the exclusion of real property not on said State highways and which latter property is in said district.
“It is agreed that the total benefits assessed in said district amount to $175,000; the benefits assessed against Central Avenue property, which is the property fronting upon said State highways in said district, amounts to $97,500; that the total cost of the paving in the district was $72,696; that the total cost of the paving of Central Avenue aforesaid, as determined by the State highway engineers, was 39.84 per cent, of the total cost, or $29,966.08; that the total bond issue of said district was $77,500; that the Central Avenue real property fronting upon State highways was obligated to pay approximately 55 per cent, of the total cost of the bond issue; the balance of the district not on State highways was obligated to pay approximately 45 per cent, of the bond issue. That there was paid for improving said Central Avenue 39.84 per cent, of the total cost of the entire improvement in said district.
“It is agreed by the parties hereto that no attack is made or can be made upon the original assessment of benefits on all of; the property in said district.
“It is agreed that the plat of the district showing the location of improvements upon the streets of said district and boundaries of the district is made a part of this agreed statement of facts.”

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Related

Gabriel v. Borough of Paramus
212 A.2d 550 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1965)
White v. Board of Comm. of Street Imp. Dist. No. 2
169 S.W.2d 862 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1943)
Black v. Street Improvement Dist. No. 2
37 F. Supp. 894 (E.D. Arkansas, 1941)
Lightle v. Kirby
108 S.W.2d 896 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1937)
Wood v. Tobin
104 S.W.2d 203 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1937)

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Bluebook (online)
94 S.W.2d 113, 192 Ark. 712, 1936 Ark. LEXIS 150, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jackson-v-foster-ark-1936.