State ex rel. Attorney General v. Morris

63 Ohio St. (N.S.) 496
CourtOhio Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 18, 1900
StatusPublished

This text of 63 Ohio St. (N.S.) 496 (State ex rel. Attorney General v. Morris) 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
State ex rel. Attorney General v. Morris, 63 Ohio St. (N.S.) 496 (Ohio 1900).

Opinion

Burket, J.

The attorney general in his brief states the question thus: “Upon this record thus presented, the single question arises: Has the legislature of Ohio authorized the creation of boards of revision to revise the work of the decennial county and city boards of equalization, or either of such boards? On the part of the relator, wre contend no such authority is granted, while the defendants contend that the decennial board of equalization for county and city are by the statute constituted boards of revision.”

To determine this question it is necessary to consider and construe the statutes bearing on this subject.

So much of sections 281.3a and 2814a, passed April 16, 1900, 94 O. L., 247, as apply to this question, are as follows:

“Sec. 2813a. The decennial county board of equalization shall complete its work of equalization, on or before the fourth Monday of February, and the decennial board for cities of the first and second class, on or before the second Monday of April, of the year next following the beginning of the equalization, respectively, and, on its completion, each of said boards shall adjourn as a board of equalization, and the auditor shall immediately thereafter, give ten days’ public notice by advertisement in one or more newspapers, that the equalization has been completed, and that complaints against any valuation may be filed with the auditor of the county on or before the fifteenth day of April next following and will be heard by the board of revision, stating in the notice the time [502]*502and place of the meeting of said board, except that in cities of the'first and second class, snch complaints shall be filed on or before the fifteenth day of May next following.”
“Sec. 2814a. The decennial board of equalization shall sit as a board of revision, when notified by the auditor of the county to meet for that purpose, in which event it shall begin its session as a board of revision, on the first Monday of May following the completion of the decennial equalization, and shall close its session on or before the fourth Monday of September next following; except that the. decennial city board shall begin its session on the- first Monday of June, and shall close its session on or before the fourth Monday of January of the year next following. After the completion of the equalization by either board, complaints against any valuation may be filed with the auditor of the county, and, if any such complaint shall have been so filed on or before April 15th thereafter against any valuation of a decennial county board; or, or on or before May 15th thereafter against any valuation of a decennial city board, or, if the auditor of the county deem it advisable, he shall, in writing, notify the members of the proper' board of equalization to meet and sit as a board of revision on the day fixed by this act and at the place fixed for the meeting of the said boards respectively, and he shall give ten days’ public notice, by advertisement, in one or more newspapers, of the time and place of the meeting of the board of revision and the purpose thereof. The board of revision shall investigate all snch complaints and all complaints against any valuation filed with it as a board, or made by the county auditor, and may increase or decrease any valuation complained of and no others. Said [503]*503board shall, in all respects, be governed by the laws in force governing the valuing of real property, and shall make no change in any valuation complained ■of except in accordance with such laws, and subject to the laws regulating and restricting the limit of equalization, but no valuation, as fixed by the board of equalization, shall be increased by the board of revision, in any case, except upon reasonable notice as prescribed by this chapter, to all persons directly interested and an opportunity for a full hearing. The auditor of the county shall correct the tax duplicate according to the deductions and additions ordered by the board of revision, in the manner provided by law for making corrections thereof.”

These two sections are known as the Hendley law.

Sections 2813, 2815 and 2818, passed April 16,1900, 91 O. L., 336, are as follows:

“Sec. 2813. The auditor, surveyor and commissioners of such county shall compose the county board of equalization of the real property within the county, except that within any city of the first or second class; and they shall convene at the office of the county auditor on the third Monday of July, one thousand nine hundred, and every tenth year thereafter; and shall close their session on or before the first Monday in October then next following; and each shall be sworn, faithfully and impartially, to equalize the value of real estate within the county that is within their jurisdiction, according to law; any three of them shall form a quorum, and the auditor shall keep a full and accurate record of the proceedings and orders of the board.”
“Sec. 2815. In each city of the first and second class there shall be a decennial board for the equali[504]*504zation of the value of the real property within such city, to be composed of the county auditor, and six citizens of such city, appointed by the council thereof, except that in cities of the first grade of the first class, said six members shall be appointed by the city comptroller of such city, and shall consist of three members of each of the two leading political parties. Said board shall convene at the office of the county auditor, on the first Monday of August, in the year one thousand nine hundred, and every tenth year thereafter, and shall close its session on or before the third Monday in October then next following; and they shall severally take the same oath as that prescribed for the decennial county board; and a record of the proceedings and orders of said decennial city board of' equalization shall 'be kept by the auditor.”
“Sec. 2818. The state board of equalization shall consist of as many members as compose the state senate, chosen at the last previous election of the members of the general assembly and representing the same districts, all of whom shall have the qualifications of electors, and the qualified electors of each senatorial district shall, a,t the November election in the year one thousand nine hundred, and each tenth year thereafter, elect persons to serve as members of such board of equalization in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, and the returns of the poll books and certificate of election shall be governed by the law regulating the election of senators; and in case of vacancy in such office, either by death or resignation, or otherwise, the governor of the state shall have the power to appoint a person who shall be a resident elector of the district so vacated, to fill such vacancy as soon as he shall be informed thereof; the auditor of state shall, by virtue of his office, be a mem[505]*505ber of this board. The said board shall meet at Columbus on the first Tuesday of December, one thousand nine hundred, and every tenth year thereafter, and shall close its session on or before the first Monday in May then next following; and the members thereof shall each take an oath that he will, to the best of his knowledge and ability, so far as the duty devolves on him, equalize the valuation of real property among the several counties and towns in the state, according to the rules prescribed by this table for valuing and equalizing the value of real property transmitted to him by the several county auditors.

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Bluebook (online)
63 Ohio St. (N.S.) 496, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-attorney-general-v-morris-ohio-1900.