Mutual Electric Co. v. Village of Pomeroy

99 Ohio St. (N.S.) 75
CourtOhio Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 17, 1918
DocketNo. 15820
StatusPublished

This text of 99 Ohio St. (N.S.) 75 (Mutual Electric Co. v. Village of Pomeroy) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mutual Electric Co. v. Village of Pomeroy, 99 Ohio St. (N.S.) 75 (Ohio 1918).

Opinion

Donahue, J.

The right of the plaintiff in error to recover upon the causes of action contained in its petition depends upon the validity of the ordinance passed by the council of the village of Pomeroy on the first day of March, 1915.

It is insisted that this ordinance is invalid because the village entirely failed and neglected to advertise for bids for public lighting pursuant to the provisions of Section 4221, General Code. If this section of the General Code applies to this ordinance, then it is necessarily void, and the plaintiff in error cannot recover.

In determining this question it is profitable at least to investigate the history of this legislation. Section 198 of the Municipal Code (96 O. L., 20, 83), passed October 22, 1902, provided that all contracts made by the council of any village shall be executed in the name of the village and signed on behalf of the village by the mayor, and clerk, and shall be made subject to the provisions of Sections 143 and 144 of the same act.

Sections 143 and 144 of the Municipal Code of 1902 conferred authority upon the directors of public service of a city to make contracts, purchase supplies or material, or provide labor for any work under the supervision of their department, not involving more than $500; and no contracts involving an expenditure in excess of that amount could be entered into by the directors of public service unless the same were authorized by ordinance of council, and in such case it was made the duty of the directors of public service to advertise and award the contract to the lowest and best bidder.

[79]*79Section 198 was evidently written into this Municipal Code to take the place of Section 1690 of the Revised Statutes, which section was repealed by the Municipal Code act. That section related exclusively to services performed and supplies furnished for the corporation, and provided that as far as practicable such service should be performed and furnished in pursuance of contract to be authorized by the council, through some proper officer or department of the corporation, except as otherwise provided.

The Codifying Commission wrote into Section 4221, General Code, all the provisions contained in Section 198 of the Municipal Code, except that portion thereof providing that contracts made under authority of that section “shall be made subject to the provisions of sections 143 and 144 of this act, so far as the same are applicable,” and in lieu thereof wrote into Section 4221, General Code, the parts of Sections 143 and 144 of the Municipal Code that it deemed applicable to villages.

It is therefore important in the construction of this language, written into Section 4221, General Code, by the Codifying Commission, to consider the same in connection with the statute in which it was originally written by the general assembly. (Ebersole v. Schiller, Admr., 50 Ohio St., 701.)

It is the settled rule of construction in this state, that, where the entire legislation affecting a particular subject-matter has undergone revision, the revised sections will be construed the same as the original sections, unless the language of the revision evidences an intention to change the mean[80]*80ing and intent of the original act. State v. Vanderbilt, 37 Ohio St., 590, 640; State, ex rel., v. Commissioners of Shelby County, 36 Ohio St., 326; State v. Jackson, Id., 281; Williams v. State, 35 Ohio St, 175; Reed v. Evans, 17 Ohio, 128, 134; City of Ironion v. Wiehle, 78 Ohio St., 41, 44, and Stevenson v. State, 70 Ohio St., 11, 15.

This ordinance does not involve the expenditure of any fixed amount, either more or less than $500. It contains no stipulation as to the amount of electric light the village will be required to- use in any month or any year. On the contrary, it merely provides that the village shall pay from month to month for the electric current that may be used to light the streets, alleys and public places, at the rate fixed by the ordinance. The plaintiff in error cannot charge more than this -ordinance rate, and having filed with the village clerk its acceptance in writing the village council cannot for a period of ten years require it to furnish electric light for less.

True, in the course of ten years the village will undoubtedly expend more than $500 for electric light, but that might be equally true of labor or material covered by a contract involving less than $500. While contracts for labor and material, the immediate use of which is in contemplation by the municipality, cannot be separated into several contracts in order to escape the provisions of Section 4221, General Code, neither is it necessary when such contracts are made to take into consideration the possible needs of the municipality for like services and material for the next ten years to [81]*81come. By a parity of reasoning, it would, appear equally unnecessary in a contract of this character to calculate the aggregate expenditures of the municipality for lighting its streets and alleys for ten years from and after the date of the ordinance. That could not be done if the electric light company had not filed an acceptance in writing, for the council in such event would have had the right to change the rate at will. The only effect of this acceptance in writing is to prevent the council from changing the rates for the next ten years. The ordinance in fact creates no liability. It merely fixes the rate to be paid from month to month for whatever current the municipality may use in lighting its streets and public places.

However that may be, there is a substantial difference between a contract for the furnishing of electric current, gas, or water, for a term of years, and a contract for the purchase of material to be delivered in gross, and a fixed amount paid therefor when delivered. Courts have had occasion to distinguish between such contracts, and it is unnecessary at this time to review these decisions. The rule, however, is well stated in 1 Dillon Municipal Corporations (5 ed.), 361, and discussed and applied by this court in the case of Logan Nat. Gas & Fuel Co. v. Chillicothe, 65 Ohio St., 186. It is also recognized by the general assembly of Ohio in the enactment of Section 3809, General Code.

This distinction must be borne in mind in determining the issue in this case.

[82]*82If Section 4221, General Code, applies to contracts of this character, then it applies to contracts for electric light made by every village in the state of Ohio, regardless of whether it has one or more electric light companies. As a matter of common knowledge the great majority of villages, in this state have but one source of supply. This of course must have been within the contemplation of the general assembly when it enacted this law. Advertisement, where there is but one source of supply, would be a foolish and absurd performance; and yet, if it must be done where there is more than one company, it must be done in every village of the state, though it have but a single company. The fact that in this particular village, and perhaps a few others, there may be two or more companies of this character, certainly would not induce the legislature to impose such a useless burden on the great majority of villages of the state not so fortunately situated.

If, however, there were doubt as.

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99 Ohio St. (N.S.) 75, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mutual-electric-co-v-village-of-pomeroy-ohio-1918.