Tillotson v. City of Saginaw

54 N.W. 162, 94 Mich. 240, 1892 Mich. LEXIS 1110
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 22, 1892
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 54 N.W. 162 (Tillotson v. City of Saginaw) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tillotson v. City of Saginaw, 54 N.W. 162, 94 Mich. 240, 1892 Mich. LEXIS 1110 (Mich. 1892).

Opinion

Grant, J.

The bill in this case was filed to restrain the defendants from executing and negotiating the bonds of said city to the amount of $200,000. The issue of $125,000 of these bonds was ordered by the council under section 25 of title 5 of the city charter, and $75,000 under Act No. 321, Local Acts of 1891. The provision of the charter, and the above-named enabling act, are given below in full. There is no dispute about the facts, which were agreed upon at the hearing in the court below. Decree was entered sustaining the action of the common council, and dismissing the bill. Complainant was a tax-payer, and his right to bring the suit is conceded.

The two cities of Saginaw and East Saginaw were consolidated under Act No. 455, Local Acts of 1889, which act constitutes the charter of the defendant city. The provision authorizing the city to issue bonds for the construction of certain bridges is as follows:

Sec. 25. The common council is hereby authorized to issue the bonds of said city, to the amount of $125,000, for the purpose of raising money, first, to construct a bridge across the Saginaw river and the Emerson bayou, east from Court street, and to procure the right of way therefor, and, after that, for the construction of a bridge across said river at such point in the First ward of the city as the common council may deem proper, and to procure the right of way therefor; and also for the construction of a bridge across said river east from Perry street, and to procure the right of way therefor. Said bonds to be in such amounts, and payable at’ such times and places, and with such rate of interest, as the common council [242]*242may determine. Such, bonds shall be issued, and the proceeds thereof shall be used, for no other purpose.”

The act of 1891 is as follows:

“An Act to authorize the city of Saginaw to borrow money to be used in procuring right of way for, and approaches to, and the building of, three bridges across the Saginaw river, for the city of Saginaw, in the county of Saginaw, and to issue bonds therefor.
“ Section 1. The People .of the State of Michigan enact, That the common council of the city of Saginaw be, and it is hereby, authorized and empowered to borrow, on the faith-and credit of said city, the sum of not exceeding $75,000, for a period not exceeding twenty years, at a rate of interest not exceeding five per cent, per annum, and to make, execute, negotiate, issue, and sell the bonds of said city therefor, with proper interest coupons attached thereto, in such manner as said common council shall determine, which said bonds in no case shall be sold for less than their par value.
“Sec. 2. Said bonds shall be denominated f Bridge Bonds/ and the proceeds thereof shall be used in defraying the expense of procuring the right of way for, and approaches to, and the building of, three bridges across the Saginaw river, for the city of Saginaw, in Saginaw county, which said bridges, if built, shall be located as follows: One from a convenient place in the village of Carrollton to the opposite shore; one at the foot of Court steet, in said city; and one at or south of the foot of Wayne street, in said city —and for no other purposes; but no contract shall be let, or money expended, for the building of said Wayne-street bridge, until the contract shall be let for the building of the first two named, and work begun thereunder.
“Sec. 3. Said improvement shall be made, and money expended therefor, by the board of public works of said city, under the direction of the common council.” Local Acts of 1891, p. 839.

The following facts are admitted:

“ That at a meeting o.f said common council held March 28, 1892, the following resolutions were adopted:
‘Resolved, by the common council of the city of Saginaw, Mich., that there shall be raised the sum $125,000 for the [243]*243purpose of constructing a bridge across Saginaw river and Emerson bayou, on a line of Court street, in said city, extending easterly to tbe street authorized on November 2, 1891, by said common council, to be opened across lots 42 and 43 of James Riley reserve, in said city; also a bridge across said river on the line of Maple street, in the village •of Carrollton, extending eastward into the First ward of said city of Saginaw; and also . a bridge' across said river east from Perry street, in said city, — and to procure the right of way for said bridges.5
“ ‘Resolved, by the common council of the city of Saginaw, Mich., that there shall be borrowed, on the faith and credit of said city, the sum of $75,000, to be used in defraying the expense of procuring the right of way for, approaches to, and the building of, three bridges across Saginaw river, for said city, as provided by Act 321 of the laws of the State of Michigan, approved May 8, 1891, to wit: A bridge across Saginaw river and Emerson bayou, on a line of Court street, in said city, extended easterly to the street authorized on November 2, 1891, by said common council, to be opened across lots 42 and 43 of James Riley reserve, in said city; also a bridge across said river on the line of Maple street, in the village of Carroll-ton, extended eastward into the First ward of said city of Saginaw; and also a bridge across said river on a line running west, at right angles to River street, from the intersection of Center and Douglass streets, in said city of Saginaw, — each of said bridges to conform to the general description thereof as authorized by the board of supervisors of Saginaw county in October, 1891.5
“That at a meeting of said common council held September 8, 1890, the committee on bridges reported, among other things, as follows: *Tn our opinion, the estimates for the bridges will largely overrun the appropriation, — $125,-000, — in which case application will have to be made to the Legislature at their next session.
“ That at a meeting of said council held February 18, 1891, on motion of Alderman Higgins, the city attorney was instructed to draft, and caused to be introduced, an act to enable the city to issue and sell bonds to the amount of $200,000 to defray the expense of constructing bridges; that the city engineer furnished the common council, early in the winter of 1890-91, with surveys, maps, and approximate estimates for the work of erecting the three bridges, nd securing approaches thereto, from which report it [244]*244appears that the expense of said three bridges would largely exceed $125,000, and would, in fact, approximate $200,000.
“That an Enabling act,' so called, was introduced in the last Legislature, and was so drafted as to read for $200,000, for the purpose of erecting the bridges, but was afterwards cut down to $75,000, upon the ground that, if not so changed, it would enable the city to expend $325,-000 for the three bridges, instead of the desired sum of $200,000, as the city already had the right, by its 'charter, to raise $125,000.
“That at a meeting of the common council held April 27, 1891, the following resolution was adopted:
‘Resolved,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
54 N.W. 162, 94 Mich. 240, 1892 Mich. LEXIS 1110, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tillotson-v-city-of-saginaw-mich-1892.