State ex rel. Hindley v. Superior Court for Spokane County

143 P. 455, 82 Wash. 37, 1914 Wash. LEXIS 1611
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 8, 1914
DocketNo. 11971
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 143 P. 455 (State ex rel. Hindley v. Superior Court for Spokane County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington 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. Hindley v. Superior Court for Spokane County, 143 P. 455, 82 Wash. 37, 1914 Wash. LEXIS 1611 (Wash. 1914).

Opinion

Main, J.

This cause is brought here by certiorari to review a judgment of the superior court entered in a mandamus proceeding. The facts are as follows: On the 14th day of July, 1911, the city council of the city of Spokane passed ordinance No. C-199, which provided for the improvement in that city of the Northwest boulevard, by grading, paving, etc. Thereafter, a contract for the improvement was executed, and in due time the construction thereof was completed. For the purpose of meeting the cost of the improvement, an assessment roll was prepared. Notice was given, as required by law, to property owners affected by the roll to present objections. In response to this notice, a considerable number of property owners affected thereby urged objection to its confirmation. The city council, however, overruled the objections and confirmed the roll. An appeal to the superior court followed. On the 18th day of October, 1912, the superior court adjudged the assessment illegal, void, and of no effect as a lien against the property of the objectors who had appealed from the order of confirmation by the city council.

Thereafter, and on the 23d day of December, 1912, the city council, by ordinance No. C-1182, provided for a reassessment, and a reassessment roll was prepared in accordance with this ordinance. Notice was given to property owners as required by law to present objections. Responding to this notice, about one-half of the property owners within the district filed objections. The city council overruled these objections, and confirmed the reassessment roll. An appeal was taken to the superior court. On the 2d day of June, 1913, the superior court adjudged that the reassessment against the property of the appellants was illegal and void as to all sums and amounts in excess of 21.632 per [39]*39cent of the (assessment thereon as shown by the reassessment roll. In this judgment, the proper officers were ordered and directed to cancel the assessment so far as it exceeded the limit fixed by the court, and reduce the same to an amount not exceeding the amount which the property represented would have borne had the total cost of the improvement been $29,246.50. It was also provided in the judgment “that, in the event that a reassessment is made in the enlarged district, the property of these appellants shall not be assessed in any sum or amount in excess of 21.632 per cent of the assessment thereon as shown by the reassessment roll in this case.”

The cost of the improvement was $135,200.50. The reassessment roll aggregated this amount. The assessed valuation of the property within the reassessment district was approximately $58,000. It thus appears that the reassessment roll, as well as the original roll, had attempted to assess the property within the district at a greater sum than fifty per cent of the assessed valuation of the property therein. From the judgment of the superior court upon the reassessment roll, an appeal was taken to this court, and in Van Der Creek v. Spokane, 78 Wash. 94, 138 Pac. 560, the judgment was affirmed. Thereafter, certain of the property owners who had appealed from the confirmation by the city council to the superior court, tendered to the city treasurer the amount of the assessment upon their respective properties, as reduced by the judgment of the superior court, and demanded that the same be accepted in full payment. The treasurer declined to accept the amounts tendered in full payment. On or about the 4th day of April, 1914, the property owners whose assessments had been reduced by the judgment of the superior court entered on the 2d day of June, 1913, instituted an action in mandamus against the city and its officers, in which a writ of mandate was prayed for compelling the cancellation of the original assessment, and a recasting of the reassessment roll prepared under ordinance No. C-1182, by eliminating therefrom all sums in excess of [40]*4021.632 per cent of the assessment as it appeared upon the reassessment roll. After issues were formed, the cause came on for hearing before the superior court, and thereupon a writ of mandate was issued. This writ of mandate directed that the original assessment roll be cancelled, vacated, and set aside, and that the reassessment roll be recast so as to reduce the reassessment and set aside the same as to all sums and amounts in excess of 21.632 per cent of the amount as shown by the reassessment roll. For the purpose of reviewing the judgment of the court ordering the writ of mandate to issue, the cause has been brought to this court.

The brief of the city and its officers has taken a somewhat wide range, but when close attention is given to the writ of mandate here for review, the questions are somewhat circumscribed. The ordering or mandatory part of the writ is as follows:

“Now, therefore, we do command you and each of you, that you forthwith, upon receipt of this writ of mandate, cancel, vacate and set aside the original assessment roll made against the property of these parties for the improvement of Northwest Boulevard by grading, curbing, parking, side-walking and paving, and the erection of a trestle and all thereof as created under ordinance number C-199, and also forthwith recast the assessment roll created under ordinance number C-1182, and to reduce the assessment, taxes and lien as created thereby for said improvement, and to vacate and set aside the same as to all sums and amounts in excess of
21.632 per cent of the assessment thereon as shown by said assessment roll, all in accordance with the judgment and decree of this court as rendered on the 18th day of October, 1912, and on the 2d day of June, 1913.”

This was followed by a description of the “respective properties of these parties here involved, and to which this writ shall apply.” It will be seen that, in this mandate, two things are required of the city and its officers. First, that the original assessment roll, so far as it affected the parties to the proceedings, be cancelled and set aside in accordance with the judgment rendered on October 18, 1912; and sec[41]*41ond, that the reassessment roll be recast in accordance with the judgment of June 2, 1913. The writ does not require the city or its proper officer to accept any sum of money in full payment for which the property may be liable on account of the improvement. The judgment of October 18, 1912, did not assume or purport to invalidate the roll, other than so far as the objecting property owners were concerned. .The judgment of June 2, 1913, did not direct a recasting of the reassessment roll, except in so far as it affected the objectors therein. What may be the status either of the original or reassessment rolls, as to property owners not objecting, is a question not now before us, as neither of the judgments referred to, nor the writ, purport to affect such property. One of the objections urged against the issuance of the writ of mandate was that the city was proceeding to make a second reassessment in an enlarged district which would provide sufficient funds to meet the cost of the improvement. We do not see how this second reassessment can be invalid in the present proceeding. The right to reassess when a part or the whole of a previous assessment or reassessment has been declared invalid, is statutory. Laws of 1911, p. 468, ch. 98, § 42 (3 Rem. & Bal. Code, § 7892-42). And in making the reassessment, the question of benefits, and the apportionment thereof are as much original questions as they are in the original assessment proceeding. Cline v. Seattle, 13 Wash. 444, 43 Pac. 367; Ryan v. Sumner, 17 Wash. 228, 49 Pac. 487;

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Kuehl v. City of Edmonds
157 P. 850 (Washington Supreme Court, 1916)
Eggerth v. City of Spokane
157 P. 859 (Washington Supreme Court, 1916)
East Hoquiam Co. v. City of Hoquiam
155 P. 754 (Washington Supreme Court, 1916)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
143 P. 455, 82 Wash. 37, 1914 Wash. LEXIS 1611, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-hindley-v-superior-court-for-spokane-county-wash-1914.