Jones v. Blaine

1931 OK 17, 300 P. 369, 149 Okla. 153, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 208
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 27, 1931
Docket20026
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 1931 OK 17 (Jones v. Blaine) 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
Jones v. Blaine, 1931 OK 17, 300 P. 369, 149 Okla. 153, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 208 (Okla. 1931).

Opinion

ANDREWS, J.

Charles Blaine, the defendant in error, who will be hereinafter referred to as the plaintiff, instituted this proceeding in the district court of Okmulgee county against the plaintiff in error, who will be hereinafter referred to as the defendant, to recover money paid under protest under certain tax levies for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 1927. The case was tried to court without a jury, and the court rendered judgment in favor of the plaintiff on certain causes of action and in favor of the defendant on the other causes of action. Both plaintiff and defendant gave notice of appeal and each has perfected appeal to this court in the same cause and *155 under the same number. The various causes of action will be separately discussed herein.

The first cause of action involves a levy of .25 mill for the Okmulgee county highway fund. The trial court rendered judgment thereon for the plaintiff. The petition in error of the defendant attacked' that' judgment, but the defendant in his brief admits the correctness thereof. The judgment of the trial court thereon, therefore, is affirmed.

The second cause of action involves a levy of 4.88 mills for the current expense of the city of Okmulgee and .74 mill for the library fund of the city of Okmulgee, which are alleged to be avoid. The trial court rendered judgment in favor of the defendant.

The plaintiff contends that the financial statement and estimate óf the city were not published in the - same issues of the paper or as one continuous document, and that the financial statement was published five days after publication of the estimate. No statute or decision is cited requiring the publication to be in the same issues of the paper or as one continuous document, and we know of none. The reasoning of the plaintiff in support of his contention does not appeal to this court, and', while it doubtless is better practice to make .the publication in the same issues of the paper and as one continuous document, we cannot hold a tax levy void for failure to do so.

There is nothing in section 9695, C. O. S. 1921, supporting the contention of the plaintiff. That section requires the making of “a financial statement showing the true fiscal condition” and an “itemized statement of estimated needs and probable income”' and the publication of “each financial statement and estimate.’’ The context clearly shows that these are separate instruments.

. The plaintiff ■ contends that the financial statement was not published nor was any substantial part thereof published'. We assume that the plaintiff means legally published, for the record shows that a financial statement was published, and, in our opinion, it was legally published if it was sufficient in fact to constitute a financial statement. The record discloses that the financial statement made out on the form prepared by the State Examiner and Inspector was not published and that the published instrument denominated “financial statement” was a summary of the financial statement made on the blank prepared by the State Examiner and Inspector.

Section 9695, Id., a part of the chapter on municipal levies, deals with the preliminary steps necessary to the making of a valid levy for municipal purposes. It provides that the city officials shall meet and make in writing “a financial statement showing the true fiscal condition” of the city as of the close of the previous year-, and an “itemized statement of estimated needs and probable income from sources other than ad valorem tax” of the city for current expense for the current fiscal year. The financial statement is required’ to. be “supported by; schedules or exhibits showing by classes” the amount of all receipts and disbursements. The statement of estimated needs is required to be “itemized so as to show by classes, first, the several amounts necessary for the current expense of the municipality, and each officer and department thereof.” “Each financial statement and estimate,” as prepared in accordance with the provisions of the section, are required to be published as therein provided. “Said estimates, so made out and published as aforesaid, shall, as soon as completed, be certified to the excise board of the county, together with an affidavit attached, showing the publication or posting thereof, as required by this act. The estimates and statements provided for in section 4 shall also at 'the same time be transmitted to the excise board.”

Section 9697, C. O. S. 1921, being section 4 referred to in section 9695, Id., requires each officer, board, or commission of any city and all employees charged with the management or control of any department or institution or either thereof to file with the board or commission charged with the duty of reporting to the excise board a report in writing showing, by classes, the earnings and costs of maintaining their respective offices or departments for the previous fiscal year, together with an itemized statement and estimate of the probable needs thereof for the current or ensuing fiscal year.

These two sections must be considered together. • Section 9697, Id., requires a report in writing showing, by.classes, the earnings and cost of maintaining the respective offices or departments for the previous fiscal year. That is doubtless for the purpose of giving the board or commission charged with the duty of reporting to the excise board the information from which its- report and financial statement can be prepared. Section 9695, Id., requires the estimate made out and published to 'be certified to the excise board, but it is nowhere required' that the financial statement be certified to the excise board. The financial statements referred to in section 9698, C. O. S. 1921, *156 are the statements provided by section 9697, Id., which are to be transmitted to the excise board as required by section 9695, Id.

Since the financial statement is not required to be certified to the excise board, a failure to certify it would not defeat a levy, and' a failure to publish the same cannot defeat a levy. While section 9695, Id., is mandatory in its requirement that each financial statement and estimate shall be published as therein provided, a failure to publish, the financial statement can in no wise affect a levy, for the reason that the financial statement is not before the excise board or considered by it in making the levy. This is clear 'when it is kept in mind that the only- things certified to the excise board are the itemized statement of estimated needs ana probable income and the reports in writing of the various offices as provided by' section 9697, Id. It is on the information contained therein that the excise board acts and not on the information contained in the financial statement required by section 9695, Id.

The record is silent as to whether or not the reports required by section 9697, Id., were transmitted to the excise board. Under the rule announced in Bonaparte v. Nelson, 142 Okla. 54, 285 Pac. 100, the burden of establishing the invalidity of the tax levy in a proceeding to recover a tax paid under protest is on the taxpayer. There being no proof in the record on this question, this court must assume that those instruments were duly transmitted to| the excise board and that they! were considered by it in making the appropriation and fixing the rate of levy.

The plaintiff cites In re Gypsy Oil Co., 141 Okla. 291, 285 Pac. 67, Pitts v.

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Bluebook (online)
1931 OK 17, 300 P. 369, 149 Okla. 153, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 208, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jones-v-blaine-okla-1931.