Metsker v. Whitsell

103 N.E. 1078, 181 Ind. 126, 1914 Ind. LEXIS 11
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 27, 1914
DocketNo. 22,445
StatusPublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 103 N.E. 1078 (Metsker v. Whitsell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Metsker v. Whitsell, 103 N.E. 1078, 181 Ind. 126, 1914 Ind. LEXIS 11 (Ind. 1914).

Opinion

Morris, C. J.

Appellees, in March, 1912, filed their petition for the improvement of a rural highway, 5,400 feet in length, under the provisions of §7711 et seq. Burns 1908, Acts 1905 p. 521. The board of commissioners referred the matter for report, to J. S. Shannon, engineer, and John F. Passwater and Larkin Stultz, viewers. Subsequently a report was filed, signed by Shannon as engineer, and Passwater as viewer, in which it was recited that the proposed improvement would be of public utility, and that [131]*131there should be used as a paving material, gravel and broken stone, bound together with asphalt or coal tar. The report was accompanied with the proper plat and profile. Following this report was a separate one by viewer Stultz, which recites that if the paving material described in the foregoing report (estimated to cost $13,-600) shall be used, that the cost thereof would render the improvement not of public utility, but that if gravel, (estimated to cost $4,654) alone, be used, the proposed improvement would be of public utility. In other respects he concurred in the report signed by Shannon and Pass-water. This report was filed May 20, 1912. On June 3 following, a supplemental report was filed. §7718 Burns 1908, Acts 1905 p. 521. No remonstrance was ever filed. Acts 1909 p. 354.

In July, the board examined the report, and rejected it, and dismissed the petition. From this order ¥m. V. Rooker, one of the petitioners, appealed to the circuit court. His appeal bond was signed by Robert E. Washington, as surety. The regular judge declined to hear the appeal and appointed Hon. Samuel R. Artman, as special judge, to determine the matter. On January 15, 1913, Judge Artman heard the cause and adjudged that the order of the board, in dismissing the petition, be vacated, and remanded it to the board “with directions to take such further proceedings under the statute as is provided by law.” Subsequently, at the same term, appellants, Metsker, Morris, and Wade, appeared in the circuit court, and filed various verified motions, praying to be admitted as parties defendant, and for the vacation of the judgment theretofore entered. These motions were overruled. After-wards, on leave of court, they filed a motion for a modification of the judgment, which motion recited that Metsker, et al., were each resident taxpayers of the township in which the highway is located. Thereupon the judgment was modified to read as follows: “It is therefore con[132]*132sidered and- adjudged by tbe Court that the order and judgment of the Board of Commissioners of Hamilton County, Indiana, dismissing the petition herein, be and the same is hereby vacated 'and set aside and held for naught; and it is further stated for the information and direction of said board that the court, in this judgment, does not adjudicate any question as to the jurisdiction of the board over the subject-matter of this proceeding or the validity of the proceedings of the board, except its order and judgment dismissing the petition. S. R. Artman, Special Judge.”

This modification was certified to the board, and thereupon appellants Metsker, Morris and "Wade appeared before it, and, by verified written motion challenged the competency of commissioner Robert E. Washington to take part in the hearing of the cause, for the reason that he had, before qualifying as county commissioner, executed, as surety, the appeal bond of Wm. V. Rooker. The challenge was overruled, with commissioner Harvey voting to sustain it. Appellants then tendered to the board, and asked leave to file their verified answers, in which it was alleged, among other things, that each was a resident taxpayer of Noblesville Township, Hamilton County where the highway was situate; that the board was without power to order the improvement as "recommended by the report of Passwater, viewer, and the engineer, because the other yiewer did not assent to such report; that the board was hot authorized to' order the proposed improvement of a country highway to be constructed of the materials described in the report of the engineer, and viewer Pass-water. The board, by a vote of two, to one, refused the offer to file the answer, commissioner Harvey dissenting. Appellants thereupon by leave of the board, filed their verified motion to submit the question of the improvement to the legal voters of the township. After consideration, the board (commissioner Harvey dissenting) struck the [133]*133motion from the files, and, on motion of petitioners, on February 15, 1913, approved the report of viewer Pass-water and engineer Shannon, and ordered the construction of the improvement in accordance with such report. Appellants gave notice of their intention to appeal to the circuit court, and, on February 22,1913, filed their appeal bond with the county auditor, which was approved. No affidavit was filed by appellants with the auditor showing the interest or grievance of appellants. Acts 1909 p. 353; §6021 Burns 1908, §5772 R. S. 1881.

1.

2.

On April 25, 1913, the cause was presented for hearing in the circuit court, and appellees filed a motion to dismiss the appeal, for the following reasons: (1) the appellants filed no remonstrance before the board; (2) there was no issue to try in this court; (3) appellants filed no affidavit with the auditor showing interest or grievance, and were not parties to the action. The further hearing of the cause was adjourned to May 29, 1913, when appellees’ motion,was sustained and the appeal dismissed. From that judgment, this appeal is prosecuted, and the aetion of the circuit court, in dismissing the appeal, is here assigned as error. Appellees have filed a motion to dismiss the appeal, assigning several grounds therefor, of which the principal one is the alleged fact that the circuit court had no jurisdiction of the matters presented in appellants’ appeal from the final order of the board, and consequently this court has no jurisdiction of this appeal. If it were true that the circuit court had no jurisdiction of the subject-matter of the appeal, such fact would require an affirmance of the judgment, rather than a dismissal of this appeal. The other reasons assigned deal wholly with the merits of the ruling of the trial court. The motion is overruled at appellees’ cost. Ryder v. Shea (1913), 180 Ind. 574, 103 N. E. 411.

[134]*134 3.

4.

5.

[133]*133Appellees’ counsel contend that the circuit court had no jurisdiction of the last appeal, because appellants were not [134]*134parties to the proceeding while it was pending before the board of commissioners, and because no affidavit was filed with the county auditor, showing grievance or interest. If it be conceded, as appellees contend, that appellants did not become parties to the proceeding, while it was pending before Judge Artman, it must, nevertheless, be held that they became parties thereto, after it was remanded to the board. By leave of the latter, appellants filed a proper petition praying the board, to submit the question of improvement to the township voters. At the same time, appellants tendered verified answers showing they were taxpayers of the township, and challenging the jurisdiction of the board to order the improvement because of defects appearing on the face of the record. Where want of jurisdiction appears on the face of the record, the question may be raised for the first time in this court.

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Bluebook (online)
103 N.E. 1078, 181 Ind. 126, 1914 Ind. LEXIS 11, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/metsker-v-whitsell-ind-1914.