Saul v. Williams Co. Board of Education

31 Ohio Law. Abs. 623, 17 Ohio Op. 328, 1940 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 411
CourtWilliams County Court of Common Pleas
DecidedApril 25, 1940
DocketNo. 13021
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 31 Ohio Law. Abs. 623 (Saul v. Williams Co. Board of Education) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Williams County Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Saul v. Williams Co. Board of Education, 31 Ohio Law. Abs. 623, 17 Ohio Op. 328, 1940 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 411 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1940).

Opinion

OPINION

By PENDLETON, J.

Following the refusal of the Board of Education of the Center Township Rural School District to levy a tax for school purposes for the 1940 school year, the Williams County Board of Education, acting under the authority of §7610-1 GC, on November 2, 1939 passed its resolution making a three mill levy upon all of the taxable property of the duplicate in the Center Township District, and certifying its action to the county auditor, so that said levy was placed upon the duplicate. Thereupon this suit was brought by a taxpayer in said district to enjoin the collection of the levy. The determination of the case hinges upon the legality of the action taken by the county board of education.

Leading up to the present controversy is record of disagreement over school policies between township board of education and county board of education, hereinafter referred to as “township board” and “county board”. The court now finds the essential facts to be as follows:

1. That the township board had determined (July 30, 1939) to discontinue the use of its one and two room building equipment, and to transport its pupils to adjoining exempted school districts. The county board objected to this action, and sought unsuccessfully in court proceedings to prevent such action.

2. That in the meantime the township board, on June 26, 1939, had con[625]*625sidered and adopted a tax budget for the year 1940, and on July 6, 1939 had submitted the budget to the county budget commission for its consideration and approval. On August 30, 1939 the township board, by resolution passed by a three to one vote, recommended to the Williams county tax commission that “by reason of the present accumulated school operating surplus fund” no tax for the year be levied in Center township for school operating purposes.

3. That at said time the township board had an estimated oalance on hand as of January 1, 1940 of $14,874.29, against estimated expenditures for the year 1940 (not taking into account the savings expected to be made by the new method of transporting pupils, amounting to at least $1,000) of $14,-795. This is shown in plaintiff’s Exhibit No. 1.

4. That the county superintendent of schools and the county board insisted that a tax levy be made, entered into correspondence with state and county officers with regard to same and procured advice from the attorney general, to the effect that the township board, in submitting its budget in pursuance of §5625-22 GC, lost further jurisdiction in the matter, that its resolution recommending that no tax should be levied should be treated by county auditor and county budget commission as a nullity, and that when certified back by the budget commission it was the duty of the township board to authorize by resolution the tax levy as approved by the budget commission, all pursuant to §5625-25 GC.

5. That the budget commission, acting upon this advice, approved the three mill levy and on October 27, 1939 certified its action back to the township board for action. On Occober 30, 1939, the township board met and passed a resolution levying no tax, which resolution was certified to the county auditor the same day.

6. That thereupon the Williams County Board of Education met in special session on November 2, 1939, and a portion of the minutes of this meeting reads as follows:

“The Williams County Board of Education met at a special meeting called by the' president, J. Roger Day, Thursday, November 2, 1939, in the office of the County Superintendent of Schools for the purpose of considering the Center Rural School Budget which the Center Board of Education neglected, failed and refused to adopt accepting the amounts and rates as set up by, the budget commission. The following members were present: J. Roger Day, H. B. Dargitz, D. A. Leu, L. B. Starr.

“A committee of citizens consisting of Dan Manon, Chauncey McDonald and Dale Strawser appeared before the clerk and president of the Williams County Board of Education stating that the Center Rural Board of Education had neglected, failed and refused to adopt a resolution accepting the amounts and rates as determined by the budget commission, and to authorize the necessary tax levies, and to certify them to the county auditor as said board is required by law so to do.

“The budget request submitted to the Williams County Budget Commission estimated that Center Rural School District would receive $3,800 help from other sources. This is too low an estimate in view of the fact that all of the grade pupils numbering 175 and all of the high school pupils numbering 79 have been assigned to attend schools in other districts. The transportation costs for sending these pupils to other districts is $5,300. The iocal board of education must also purchase school buses with a valuation of approximately $5,000. In view of the fact that Center township would not have a levy of 3 mills, there would be no additional state aid. Center Rurai School District would lose approximately $16,000 of state money which they would receive if 3 mills were levied for the local school district.

“After discussion of the above proposition, the following resolution was read:

[626]*626RESOLUTION

“BE IT RESOLVED, by the board of education of the Williams County School District, Williams County, Ohio, that:

“It now appearing to this board that the Board of Education of Center Township Rural School District, Williams County, Ohio, has neglected, failed and refused to adopt a resolution accepting the amounts and rates as determined by the budget commission, and to authorize the neeesary tax levies, and to certify them to the county auditor as said board is required by law so to do, and

“It further appearing to this board that it is both necessary and essential that taxes be levied to provide for the continuance of the schools in said Center Township Rural School District, and

“This board being fully advised and satisfied of the failure of said Board of Education of Center Township Rural School District to do and perform any of such acts, and that it is of urgent necessity that the resolution aforesaid be certified to the county auditor, and

“Whereas, the Board of Education of Center Township Rural School District, Williams County, Ohio, in accordance with the provisions of law has previously adopted a tax budget for the next succeeding fiscal year commencing January 1, 1940, and

“Whereas, the budget commission of Williams County, Ohio, has certified its action thereon to the said Center Township Rural School District, together with the estimate of the county auditor of the rate each tax necessary to be levied by said board, and what part thereof is without, and part within, the ten mill limitation, therefore, be it:

“RESOLVED, by this board of education that the amounts and rates as determined by the budget commission in its certification to said Center Township Rural School District, be and the same are hereby accepted; and be it further

“RESOLVED, that there be and is hereby levied on the tax duplicate of sa id Center Township Rural School District, the rate of each tax necessary to be levied within and without the ten mill limitation as follows: as set forth in Exhibit 1 which is hereto attached and made a part hereof.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
31 Ohio Law. Abs. 623, 17 Ohio Op. 328, 1940 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 411, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/saul-v-williams-co-board-of-education-ohctcomplwillia-1940.