State ex rel. Baldwin v. Board of County Commissioners

3 Ohio C.C. 403
CourtOhio Circuit Courts
DecidedJune 15, 1888
StatusPublished

This text of 3 Ohio C.C. 403 (State ex rel. Baldwin v. Board of County Commissioners) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Circuit Courts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. Baldwin v. Board of County Commissioners, 3 Ohio C.C. 403 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1888).

Opinion

Scribner, J.

(orally).

There has been submitted to Judge Haynes and myself, at Chambers, a motion to suspend an order made by Judge Sutphen, at Chambers, dissolving an injunction in the case of The State of Ohioj on relation of Joseph Baldwin and others, tax-payers of Williams County against The Board of Commissioners of Williams County, Ohio, and others. The case is a very important one. It was very fully, carefully and ably argued, and has been carefully considered by us.

On the 24th day of March, 1888, the legislature of Ohio passed an act entitled “ An act to authorize the Board of County Commissioners of the county of Williams to issue bonds, and to either repair, enlarge and improve the present court house, or to build a new court house in said county.”

The act provides as follows :

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, that the County Commissioners of the county of Williams are hereby authorized to either repair, enlarge and improve the present court house, or to erect a new court house at the county seat of said county; such court house, whether the present structure repaired, enlarged and improved, or an entirely new structure, shall include a good, serviceable basement, and also sufficient and suitable rooms of adequate dimensions for the convenient transaction therein of the county and public business of the courts and various county officials of said county; also, fire proof vaults for the records and unrecorded papers of, and belonging to the various county officers; also the best modern method of ventilation, drainage, lighting and heating; also, tile floors and slate and metal, or metal roof with iron frame work and supports. The said county commissioners shall, within two months from and after the passage of this act, determine which they deem. [405]*405best for the interests of said county, whether the repair, enlargement and improvement of the present court house, or the erection of an entirely new one, and have such determination forthwith entered upon their journal. Plans and specifications of and for either the said repair, enlargement and improvement, or the said new structure, according as the said commissioners shall have, as aforesaid, determined upon, shall be adopted, and the contract let, according to law, within six (6) months from and after the passage of this act, which contract shall require the said structure, which has been as aforesaid, determined upon, to be completed within as short a time as practicable.

Section 2. That the County. Commissioners of said Williams County, for the purpose of thus repairing, enlarging and improving said court house, or of erecting the new court house, as shall have been, as aforesaid, determined, are hereby authorized to borrow such sums of money, not exceeding fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), as they shall deem necessary, at a rate of interest not exceeding six (6) per cent, per annum, and issue the bonds of said county therefor. The principal of said bonds shall be payable at such time or times, not exceeding twenty years after their date, as the said commissioners shall therein specify, and the interest of said bonds shall be payable semi-annually. The said bonds shall not be sold for less than their par value.

Section B. That the bonds so issued shall specify distinctly the purpose for which they are issued ; shall be in such respective sums as the said commissioners shall determine; shall be paid to bearer at such place as said commissioners shall therein designate, and shall be signed by said commissioners, and attested by the county auditor of said county; and said county auditor shall keep a record of all bonds issued, and coupons thereto attached.

Section 4. For the purpose of paying the interest on said bonds, and the principal of the same as they become due, the commissioners of said county shall annually levy a sufficient tax upon all the taxable property in said county, in addition to the taxes now by law authorized to be levied thereon.

Section 5. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.

Under the authority of this act, which was passed, as I have said, on the 24th of March, 1888, the commissioners of Wiliams county convened on the 28th of the month, and thereupon the following action was taken by them : ( Here the [406]*406judge read from the journal of said commissioners, the proceedings of said date, including the resolutions and the vote thereon.)

On the 3d of April, the commissioners met in regular session, a full board being present, and this further proceeding was thereupon had. (Here the court read from said journal the action of said board, at said date, whereby it determined to issue the bonds of said county, to the extent of $50,000, providing the terms of payment, etc., and giving the vote taken thereon.)

The board further directed the auditor to advertise the bonds for sale, and made provision for the renting of a building for the use of the county officials and for court house purposes. The action taken by the board, involved the taking down of the old court house.

On the 4th of April, the commissioners adopted a resolution directing the bonds to be printed in accordance with the resolution of April 3d.

On the same date, Judge Sutphen, of the court of common pleas, appointed Hon. Albert M. Pratt, of Bryan, Ohio, to act with the commissioners in the matter of adopting plans for the new court house building.

On the 17th of April the commissioners again met, in special session, and adopted a resolution employing E. O. Fallis & Co., architects, of Toledo, to prepare plans, drawings, specifications and estimates in detail and in the aggregate, and to superintend the construction of the proposed new court house, and fixing the compensation to be paid. Upon this resolution the three commissioners voted yea.”

The county auditor proceeded, on the 3d of April, 1888, to advertise the bonds for sale, as directed by the order of the county commissioners.

On the 1st of May, 1888, the commissioners opened the bids which had been received for the bonds, and awarded the bonds to the highest bidder; the amount so bid being $55,025. They further passed an order directing the issue of the bonds.

On the 19th of May, 1888, the commissioners provided for taking down the old building — the old court house — and they also took action upon the bids for the material of the old building.

[407]*407On the 5th of June, 1888, this proceeding was had by the county commissioners, “In the matter of the county levies for the year 1888,” etc. (Here the court read proceedings of said date, fixing the amount of the tax levy, etc., for various purposes.)

On the 8th of May, 1888, the committee on the adoption of plans for the new court house at Bryan, Ohio, met in the court room of the old building. There were present, the commissioners, the probate jujige, the clerk of the courts, the sheriff, and also Mr. A. M. Pratt, and some action was taken by the committee at that time in reference to the construction of the building: “ At 1 o’clock, P. M., the committee all being presr ent, proceeded to examine the plans and specifications, and without transacting any further business, adjourned to meet at the call of the chairman.”

On the 27th of June, 1888, Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
3 Ohio C.C. 403, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-baldwin-v-board-of-county-commissioners-ohiocirct-1888.