People Ex Rel. Goble v. New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad

166 N.E. 94, 334 Ill. 438, 1929 Ill. LEXIS 802
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedApril 20, 1929
DocketNo. 19464. Judgment affirmed.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 166 N.E. 94 (People Ex Rel. Goble v. New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People Ex Rel. Goble v. New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, 166 N.E. 94, 334 Ill. 438, 1929 Ill. LEXIS 802 (Ill. 1929).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Stone

delivered the opinion of the court:

Appellant filed objections to the application of the county treasurer of Coles county, as ex-officio county collector, for a judgment of sale against its property in school district No. 50 in Coles county for a portion of the school tax for the year 1927 which had been returned delinquent. The objections were overruled and judgment entered, and the cause comes here on appeal.

The board of education of school district No. 50 made a levy of taxes for the year 1927 amounting to $65,000 for educational purposes and $40,000 for building purposes and filed a certificate of such levy. To produce the amount of taxes necessitated a rate of $2.50 on each $100 assessed valuation. The total amount of school taxes assessed against appellant’s property in that district was $6283.28. Appellant paid $5026.62, or the amount produced by the extension of a tax at the rate of two dollars on each $100, and refused to pay the sum of $1256.80, being the amount produced by the extension of fifty cents in excess of the rate of two dollars. The basis of the objection to the tax in excess of a rate of two dollars upon $100 assessed valuation is, that the election which was held, and at which authority for the assessment of the tax was voted, did not legally grant such authority.

School district No. 50 in Coles county comprises the territory in which the city of Charleston is situated. Its school system consists of common or grade schools, of eight grades each, and a four-year high school. In 1920 the board of education was authorized, at an election held for that purpose, to levy taxes for educational purposes not to exceed a maximum of three dollars, which was one dollar over the maximum fixed by statute, and to levy a tax not exceeding one dollar for building purposes, which was twenty-five cents more than the amount authorized by statute. On January 14, 1927, the board of education adopted a resolution reciting that there had been established in school district No. 50 not only grade schools but a high school; that the board had theretofore been authorized at an election to levy annual taxes for educational purposes of three per cent and for building purposes of one per cent, which taxes were then being levied and which authority had never been withdrawn, and that it was for the best interest of the school district to levy, annually, taxes for educational and building purposes in excess of the rates then authorized. The resolution further recited that it was for the best interest of the school district to “levy a tax of one-quarter of one per cent for educational purposes in addition to the tax of three per cent for educational purposes which the said school district is now authorized to levy, and further to levy a tax of three-quarters of one per cent for building purposes and the purchase of school grounds in addition to the tax of one per cent for building purposes and the purchase of school grounds which the said school district is now authorized to levy.”

By resolution a special election was called for January 25, 1927, to submit to the voters “the proposition to levy said additional tax of one-quarter of one per cent for educational purposes and said additional tax of three-quarters of one per cent for building purposes and the purchase of school grounds.” The notice of election posted was as follows:

“Notice is hereby given that on Tuesday, January 25, 1927, a special election will be held in said school district for the purpose of submitting to the legal voters thereof the following propositions:

“(1) To authorize the board of education of Charleston union school district No. 50, Coles county, Illinois, to levy a tax annually upon all taxable property of the said school district in the total amount of three and one-quarter per cent (3%%) for educational purposes upon the aggregate valuation of all taxable property within the said school district.

“(2) To authorize the board of education of Charleston union school district No. 50, Coles county, Illinois, to levy a tax annually upon all the taxable property of the said school district in the total amount of one and three-quarters per cent (i^4%) for building purposes and the purchase of school grounds, upon the aggregate valuation of all taxable property within the said school district.”

The forms of ballot used at that election conformed with paragraphs 1 and 2 of the notice. The propositions were adopted and the tax authorized by vote.

Since the change in the statute relating to land valuations for taxing purposes the tax is being levied at a total rate for all school purposes of $2.50 on each $100 of assessed value.

It is argued that the resolution and the ballot used do not comply with section 189 of the School law. That section authorizes boards of education to levy an annual tax not to exceed two per cent for educational purposes and three-quarters of one per cent for building purposes, and provides that if they desire to levy more than two per cent but not more than three per cent for educational purposes, and more than three-quarters of one per cent but not more than one per cent for building purposes, they might “by resolution stating the per cent so desired, cause a proposition for an assent thereto to be submitted to the voters of such district.” It further provides that if the vote of the people be favorable to such tax the board “may thereafter until such authority is revoked in like manner, levy annually for educational purposes a tax in excess of two per cent but not exceeding the per cent mentioned in said proposition, and a tax for building purposes * * * in excess of three-quarters of one per cent but not exceeding the per cent mentioned in said proposition.” The section then proceeds as follows: “Provided, further, that if the directors * * * in any such district * * * has established and is maintaining * * * grades nine, ten, eleven and twelve, in addition to grades one to eight, inclusive, such directors * * * may by resolution stating the per cent so desired, but not to exceed two per cent for educational purposes and three-fourths of one per cent for building purposes * * * cause a proposition for an assent thereto to be submitted to the voters of such district at any * * * election and if at such election a majority of the votes cast on such proposition shall be in favor thereof the directors * * * of such district * * * may thereafter until such authority is revoked in like manner levy annually for educational purposes a tax * * * not to exceed the per cent mentioned in said proposition for such purposes, and levy annually for building purposes * * * a tax * * * not to exceed the per cent mentioned in such proposition for such purposes. * * * Said tax shall be in addition to the maximum of all other taxes which the school district * * * is now or may hereafter be authorized by statute to levy.”

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Bluebook (online)
166 N.E. 94, 334 Ill. 438, 1929 Ill. LEXIS 802, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-ex-rel-goble-v-new-york-chicago-st-louis-railroad-ill-1929.