Tunnah v. Moyer, Mayor

152 S.W.2d 1007, 202 Ark. 821, 1941 Ark. LEXIS 251
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedJuly 7, 1941
Docket4-6484
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 152 S.W.2d 1007 (Tunnah v. Moyer, Mayor) 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
Tunnah v. Moyer, Mayor, 152 S.W.2d 1007, 202 Ark. 821, 1941 Ark. LEXIS 251 (Ark. 1941).

Opinion

Griffin Smith, C. J.

The question is whether funds realized from a sale of bonds by the City of Little Rock under authority of Amendment No. 13 to the constitution may be used in purchasing right-of-way in order that East Twenty-fifth Street Extension may be accommodated by construction over Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad lines west of Adams Field, the latter being familiarly known as the municipal airport.

At an election August 23, 194.0, authorized by city ordinance No. 5947, there was approval of a bond issue of $300,000, proceeds to be used for purchase of additional lands for airport purposes and in “constructing and keeping buildings for administration, passenger terminal, hangars, taxi strips, driveways, ’ ’ and in providing “other things incidental and necessary to a modern airport.”

Area of the airport has been more than doubled, and additional enlargements are contemplated.

Missouri Pacific Railroad Company lines are on a right-of-way extending northwest and southeast, and at certain points the property adjoins western extremities ■of the airport. Rook Island is west of Missouri Pacific, .and from a point south of Twenty-fifth Street Extension the Rock Island road curves sharply from southwest until the direction is virtually due north-south where the railroad is crossed by the street extension. The city’s plan Is to construct an overpass which will continue Twenty-fifth Street Extension west by north to highway No. 65. The overpass is an enterprise of the federal government, estimated to cost $150,000, construction depending upon procurement of the right to use private property for which expenditures aggregating $10,662.50 must be made before the government will proceed. Payment of this sum from the bond fund was authorized by city ordinance No. 6211 of May 19, 1941. Appellant, a Little Rook citizen and taxpayer, seeks by injunction to prevent issuance of warrants, alleging use it is proposed to make of the funds constituted a diversion. An additional $5,000 from the city’s general fund was appropriated to supplement the item of $10,662.50, as to which no question is raised.

The city’s answer reviews enlargement and development of the airport at expense of the federal government, . . . “best described [as a plan] to grade and drain an airport extension on 700 acres of city property, paving two runways with concrete and one with asphalt, and all incidental work' of sodding, fencing and lighting in conformance with standards of the Civil Aeronautics Administration, ... at a cost of approximately $1,000,000.”

The answer further recites that the expenditures referred to were predicated upon plans for an airport free of physical obstructions; that a county highway known as Fourche Dam Pike traverses the field, and that it creates an obstruction impeding* development of runways and other facilities essential to aviation.

The so-called “pike” forms the southern boundary of the original municipal airport, leading from its intersection with East Seventeenth street. The obstructing part of the highway extends east from a western boundary of the field where Frazier Pike is crossed. It extends east, then northeast, and east again.

Fourche Bayou is bridged at a point approximately a mile and a half east of the southeast corner of Adams Field. Beginning at the southeast comer of Adams Field, Factoria avenue marks the eastern boundary for half a mile, intersecting* with Fourche Dam Pike at the field’s terminus. The pike extends east (with direction variations) to the bayou bridge. Twenty-fifth Street Extension, from the proposed overpass, leads due east more than three miles to Fourche Bayou bridge, and immediately north of the street extension (from Missouri Pacific railroad to Factoria avenue, a distance slightly less than one mile) the airport is contiguous.

East Sixth, Ninth, Eleventh, Thirteenth, and Seventeenth streets, somewhat circuitously, lead to Adams Field. East Sixth leads into Picron avenue, .and the latter intersects East Tenth street at the northeast cornier of the airport and extends southeast to Fourche Dam Pike. East of Picron avenue the city owns property which is to be used for further expansion of Adams Field.

It appears, therefore, that the. county road lying within confines of the .airport serves residents of the area lying east of the airport, but upon completion of the government’s expansion program travel by the old route will be attended by danger to those who use it, and such use will necessarily constitute a hazard to aviation.

It is the county’s belief that if the right of user is to be surrendered, reasonable facilities should be substituted, .and to this end (July 12, 1940) there was a judgment vacating the road on condition that East Tenth and East Eleventh streets be widened and repaired, and that Twenty-fifth Street Extension be improved, as set out in the order.

The complaint of James T. Tunnah named as defendants Charles E. Moyer, mayor; H. C. Graham, city clerk, and G. L. Alexander, city treasurer. The City of Little Rock, asserting a vital interest in the subject-matter of the cause of action, interpleaded, adopting the answer of the original defendants. Tunnah’s demurrer to the answer was overruled. There was a decree denying injunctive relief.

Other Facts — and Opinion

Appellant predicates his allegation of error upon the assertion that lands sought to be condemned are not contiguous to the airport, and that there are other means of ingress and egress. It is not contended that if the city owned an airport,■'“and had no possible means of access,” it could not purchase land to facilitate use of the property. It is argued that East Sixth street is an important thoroughfare; that it accommodates traffic and crosses two railroads through underpasses; that East Ninth street is also paved, and in addition East Fifteenth and East Seventeenth streets are available. There is this statement in appellant’s brief:

“The building of the overpass and construction of a road from Frazier pike to Highway 65 are in no sense a part of the airport development, but are merely a link in the creation of a new highway out of Little Rock. The fact that it can be used by persons going to and from the airport is incidental to the building of the road. The construction of this highway is neither necessary nor incidental to maintenance of the airport.”

Amendment No. 13. to our constitution expressly authorizes bonds to be issued “. . . for the purchase, development, and improvement of . . . flying fields located either within or without the corporate limits of [a] municipality.” But it is further provided that “No municipality shall ever grant financial aid toward the construction of railroads or other private enterprises, . . . and no money raised under the provisions of this amendment by taxation or by sale of bonds for a specific purpose shall ever be used for any other or different purpose.”

By approving the bond issue in 1940, citizens of Little Rock authoiized funds to be used for the purposes expressed “. . . and [for] other things incidental and necessary to a modern airport.” The word “incidental” must be read in connection with “necessary.” Amendment No. 13 fixes limitations, and “incidental” is not used.

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

Related

Hollis v. Erwin
374 S.W.2d 828 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1964)
Myhand v. Erwin
330 S.W.2d 68 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1959)
McArthur v. Campbell
280 S.W.2d 221 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1955)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
152 S.W.2d 1007, 202 Ark. 821, 1941 Ark. LEXIS 251, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tunnah-v-moyer-mayor-ark-1941.