Village of Iuka v. Schlosser

97 Ill. App. 222, 1901 Ill. App. LEXIS 164
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedSeptember 4, 1901
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 97 Ill. App. 222 (Village of Iuka v. Schlosser) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Village of Iuka v. Schlosser, 97 Ill. App. 222, 1901 Ill. App. LEXIS 164 (Ill. Ct. App. 1901).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Worthington

delivered the opinion of the court.

As it is stipulated that the only dispute in this case is as to the right of the village to one-half of the tax levied within its limits for road and bridge purposes, and that this' stipulation is for the purpose of submitting this legal proposition for decision, we will not consider the refusal of the court to allow the introduction of the record of the board of supervisors, offered by appellees for the purpose of rais-' ing the question of the legality of the entire tax levy for roads and bridges for that year. The question of the legality of the levy could not affect the legal issue which both parties have stipulated is the issue submitted to this court.

The amount in controversy is small, involving only the one-half of $75.80, but the decision of the question involves the construction of section 16, of said chapter 121, in connection with the entire statute contained in said chapter. The latter part of said section 16 provides :

“ One-half of the tax required to be levied in sections thirteen and fourteen and collected for road and bridge purposes, on the property lying within an incorporated village, town or city in which the streets and alleys are under the care of the corporation, shall be paid over to the treasurer of such village, town or city, to be appropriated to the improvement on roads, streets or bridges either within or without said village, town or city, and within the township, under the direction of the corporate authorities of such village, town or city; * * * and provided further, that in all cities of thirty-five thousand inhabitants or upwards, all of said tax required to be levied and collected under said sections 13 and 14 within the limits of such city, shall be paid over to the treasurer of such city for city purposes.” '

If the part of this section above quoted applies to incorporated villages and" cities in towns adopting the labor system, then the court erred in refusing to hold the proposition of law asked by appellant. If it does not so apply, the court did not err in refusing it. Section 80 of chapter 121 provides how towns may by vote adopt' the labor system.

The sections from section 80 to section 123 contain provisions and regulations that apply to towns adopting said system.

Section S3 requires the commissioners in towns adopting the labor system, to ascertain how much money must be raised by tax on real and personal property for “ making and repairing roads only,” not exceeding forty cents on the $100, and provides that such talx collected on property within the limits of an incorporated village or city shall be paid to the treasurer of said village or city. Or, the corporate authorities of such village or city may direct that such tax shall not be collected in the village or city. This tax in the town outside of the limits of municipal corporations can be paid in labor under the supervision of overseers of highways in the road districts. People v. Suppiger et al., 103 Ill. 437.

It will be observed, that the half tax to be paid to the treasurer of an incorporated village or city, referred to in section 16, is not limited to a tax levied fpr making and repairing roads, but includes the taxes levied under sections J3 and 14. These taxes-are “for road and bridge purposes and the payment of any outstanding orders drawn by them (the highway commissioners) on their treasurer, which levy shall not exceed forty cents on the hundred dollars.” See section 13.

Also for an additional levy not to exceed forty cents on the $100, which may be raised under section ,14, as provided for in said section. In such towns there is not a separate levy for “ making and repairing roads only,” and another levy for road and bridge purposes and for the-payment of such other expenses as are incurred by the-commissioners. One-half of all said tax collected from! property lying within the limits of an incorporated village or city is to be paid to the treasurer of said village or city.

Section 119 provides for the money tax to be raised in towns adopting the labor system. It includes money for the purchase of “ materials for building, or repairing, or draining roads,and bridges,” and limits the amount to be raised for those and other purposes specified in the section, to forty cents on the $100. But this amount may be increased by vote at the annual town meeting by an additional forty cents on the $100, provided that such larger levy is required for “ the purpose of constructing or repairing roads or bridges.” The substantial difference between the taxes authorized to be collected under sections 83 and 119, and under sections 13 and 14, fis that the tax for “ making and repairing roads only,” authorized by section 83, may be paid in labor. All other taxes embraced in these sections are to be paid in money.

If the position of appellees is correct, it follows that the money tax collected, under section 119, on property lying within an incorporated village or city, in a town adopting the labor system, for “ the purchase of material for the building or repairing or draining of roads and bridges,” and the increased tax “ for constructing or repairing roads and bridges” that may be levied by vote at the annual town meeting, must all be paid to the treasurer of the commissioners, to be expended by them outside the limits of the village or city, even though the city may have a population of 35,000 or upward. As the law now stands the commissioners have no authority to expend it anywhere else. It was different under the law of 1879, which authorized a part to be expended in a city or village under the direction of the corporate authorities. Such a construction of the statute works an injustice. Municipal corporations have exclusive control of their streets, alleys and bridges. They must keep them in repair or be mulcted in damages if they fail to do so and persons or property are injured in consequence thereof. In this connection it -is proper to call attention to the fact that the case of People v. Suppiger et al., 103 Ill. 434, cited by appellee, is not in point. This case was decided under section 122 of the act of 1879, which section declares that such tax- — the road and bridge tax — “ shall be paid to the treasurer of the commissioners of highways. It also provided that the commissioners may, in their judgment, expend such funds upon roads within the limits of any incorporated town, village or city, the same shall be done by and with the consent of the corporate authorities. Hurd’s Statutes of 1880, p. 941.

This section does not appear in the act of 1883, the act now in force, the last section of which specifically repeals the act of 1879, excepting certain matters not pertaining to this case. Chap. 121, Sec. 124, Hurd’s Statutes 1899, p. 1488.

It is fair to presume that when the legislature repealed the statute that specifically required all taxes for road and bridge purposes collected in towns adopting the labor system, that it did not act inadvertently or unintentionally. Such repeal leaves the taxes collected under section 119 without any direction as to whom they shall be paid, unless section 10 controls such payment.

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109 Ill. App. 316 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1903)

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Bluebook (online)
97 Ill. App. 222, 1901 Ill. App. LEXIS 164, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/village-of-iuka-v-schlosser-illappct-1901.