Thomas v. Branch, Sheriff

150 S.W.2d 738, 202 Ark. 338, 1941 Ark. LEXIS 175
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedApril 28, 1941
Docket4-6327
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 150 S.W.2d 738 (Thomas v. Branch, Sheriff) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Thomas v. Branch, Sheriff, 150 S.W.2d 738, 202 Ark. 338, 1941 Ark. LEXIS 175 (Ark. 1941).

Opinion

Griffin Smith, C. J.

Appellant, a citizen and taxpayer, brought suit against designated Pulaski county officials 1 to prevent payment for publishing the list of real property delinquent in 1940 on 1939 assessments. The Arkansas Democrat 'Company intervened, alleging it had in good faith rendered the service under direction of the county clerk. The intervener also relied upon a letter written by the attorney general in June, 1935, in which the opinion was expressed that the publication was authorized. 2

The trial court thought § 10084 of Crawford & Moses’ Digest had been amended in such manner as to dispense with publication of the list of landowners and the description of property, but adjudged that the intervener should be paid because it had rendered the services under contract with the county clerk.

As stated by appellant, the two questions are (1) whether the list of delinquent lands and the names of taxpayers should be published, and (2) whether the printer may be paid-if there was no legal authority for publication.

Because of distressed financial conditions in 1933, the Forty-ninth General Assembly carried into effect a program of retrenchment. In lieu of publication in full of delinquent land lists, a notice not larger than six inches double column was substituted. Act 250, March 30, 1933. In Smith v. Cole, 187 Ark. 471, 61 S. W. 2d 55, the first four sections of the act were held unconstitutional. 3

•Sections five and six of act 250 amended §§ 10084 and 10085 of Crawford & Moses’ Digest. It was held in Matthews v. Byrd, 187 Ark. 458, 60 S. W. 2d 909, that these sections were severable from those declared invalid in the 'Smith-Cole Case, and they were not affected by the decision. 4

It is conceded by appellees that act 250 dispensed with publication of delinquent lists and substituted notice.

Act 16 of the special session of 1933, approved August 25, amended act 250, but the requirement for publication is substantially the same.

It is appellees’ contention that the section of act 170 of 1935 requiring publication of the “list of delinquent lands” was not repealed by act 282 of 1935.

The word “notice” appears twice in the pertinent parts of act 282, the final reference being that it shall be printed “as may be provided by law.”

In Hirsch and Schuman v. Dabbs and Mivelaz, 197 Ark. 756, 126 S. W. 2d 116, act 250 of 1933 was discussed. The statement was made (referring to § 6 of act 250 as it amended § 10085 of Crawford & Moses’ Digest) that “. . . under this amendatory section [a permanent record of lands returned delinquent] becomes indispensable. This amendatory section dispenses with the necessity of publishing the list and description of the delinquent lands. A six-inch, double column notice advises that delinquent lands will be sold, but does not describe the land to be sold. That information cannot be obtained from the published notice, but can only be had by examining the permanent'record in which the delinquent list of lands has been copied.”

Then there is reference to act 16, with the statement that it, also, dispensed with publication of land descriptions.

The construction given act 250 in the Hirsch Case was affirmed in McAllister v. Wright, Trustee, 197 Ark. 1156, 127 S. W. 2d 645.

From act 282 there was omitted the limitation found in acts 250 and 16 that not more than six inches of double column space should be used in giving notice that the delinquent list was on file with the county clerk.

It is insisted by appellant that § 5 of act 282, with § 5 of act 250, “furnish a complete law, clear and unmistakable in its terms, providing that the clerk of the several comities shall record the delinquent list in a well-bound book, appropriately labeled, which shall become a permanent record and open to the inspection of the public; and, that there shall be published a notice to the effect that the delinquent lands recorded in said delinquent landbook will be sold on a day certain.”

In respect' of the two cases appearing in the, 197th Reports, 5 appellant says: “'Counsel evidently overlooked that this was the act 6 in effect when this court rendered the decisions ... in which it was held that the act dispensed with the necessity of describing the land. Unless those decisions are to be overruled, this court has already decided this question against appellee’s contention. ’ ’

The Sehuman-Mivelaz Case was consolidated, for trial with the Hirsch-Dabbs Case. In the Mivelaz Case the land was sold in 1933 for taxes assessed in 1932, while in the Dabbs Case the sale was in 1934 for taxes assessed in 1933. In the McAllister-W right Case the sale was in 1933 for taxes assessed in 1932. The opinions were written in March and April, 1939, but dealt with the law applicable to sales for the years in which made. Hence, acts 170 and 282 were not involved, and the cases referred to do not control here. 7

No emergency was declared in respect of act 282; hence, it became effective June 13. As to act 170 an emergency was declared, and it became a law when signed by the governor March 21, as to the provisions not in conflict with act 282, or other subsequent statutes.

Act 16 granted to taxpayers the right to pay in three installments. It was directed that the delinquent notice be printed once weekly between the first and third Mondays in November, with sale on the third Monday in November. Final installment of taxes was payable not later than the third Monday in October.

Act 170 makes no reference to installment payments. It is entitled: “An act to provide a more efficient means of collecting real property taxes and to provide means by which the state may acquire good title to lands upon which taxes have not been paid.”

The collector is required, not later than the first Monday in November, to file with the county clerk the so-called delinquent list. The clerk must cause the list to be published once weekly for two weeks between the second Monday in November and the second Monday in December. Following the descriptions a form of notice is prescribed, the effect of which, prima facie, is to vest in the state on the second Monday in December title to all real property not privately redeemed. 8 Dqties of other officers, both state and county, are set out, but are not material here»

Act 282 is entitled: “An act providing for the settlement of all county officials and to amend §§ 1, 4, 5, and 6 of act 16 of the special session of'August 14th, 1933, of the general assembly of the state of Arkansas, and for other purposes.”

■Section 1 declares delinquent all taxes unpaid after the first day of October.

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Bluebook (online)
150 S.W.2d 738, 202 Ark. 338, 1941 Ark. LEXIS 175, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/thomas-v-branch-sheriff-ark-1941.