Wymer v. City of Columbus

440 N.E.2d 1370, 2 Ohio App. 3d 147, 2 Ohio B. 162, 1981 Ohio App. LEXIS 9934
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 25, 1981
Docket81AP-203
StatusPublished

This text of 440 N.E.2d 1370 (Wymer v. City of Columbus) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wymer v. City of Columbus, 440 N.E.2d 1370, 2 Ohio App. 3d 147, 2 Ohio B. 162, 1981 Ohio App. LEXIS 9934 (Ohio Ct. App. 1981).

Opinion

McCormaC, J.

Plaintiff filed a complaint in Franklin County Common Pleas Court against the city of Columbus, Dana Rinehart, Franklin County Treasurer, and Roger W. Tracy, Jr., Franklin County Auditor, alleging that an assessment for sidewalk construction certified to the auditor by the city of Columbus was being unlawfully assessed and collected. Plaintiff sought a declaratory judgment declaring that the liens purportedly created by Columbus City Ordinance Nos. 534-73 and 570-74 had expired or were void, as well as an injunction against the auditor and treasurer from charging and collecting the assessments and a refund from the city of Columbus for assessments already collected.

The city of Columbus moved to dismiss the complaint against it on the grounds that it failed to state a claim for which relief could be granted. The trial court sustained the motion to dismiss the city of Columbus from the case on the basis that a municipal corporation cannot correct even an illegal special assessment for municipal improvements, which can be done only by the county auditor, and that only the county treasurer can collect assessments. Judgment was rendered, dismissing the city of Columbus as a defendant, and the judgment provided that there was no just reason for delay which made the judgment entry ap-pealable on the date of its filing of August 21, 1979.

The facts were stipulated and the case was tried to the court regarding the issue of whether the county auditor could continue to assess and the county treasurer could continue to collect the taxes, the merits of which issue were whether the city of Columbus had properly certified the assessments to the auditor and treasurer. The trial court ruled that the assessment for improvements of plaintiffs property was correctly and timely placed upon the tax duplicate for collection and granted judgment to defendants.

Plaintiff has appealed, asserting the following assignments of error:

1. "The Court below erred in finding that an enactment of an amended assessing ordinance substantially the same as an original assessing ordinance extends the two year time limitation within which the City of Columbus has to certify an assessment to the County Auditor for collection.”
.2. ‘ ‘The Court below erred in finding that the City of Columbus is entitled to collect an assessment where no notice was given to the owner of the subject real estate.”

The city of Columbus has moved to dismiss it as a party to the appeal for failure of plaintiff to file a timely notice of appeal against it. Additionally, the city of Columbus seeks to preclude plaintiff from raising issues in his appeal which may relate to the city of Columbus.

The city of Columbus is not a party to the appeal. Final judgment was rendered in favor of the city of Columbus on August •21, 1979, dismissing it on the basis that a claim for relief had not been asserted against it. That judgment was not appealed, nor is there any attempt to appeal that judgment in this action. However, the action was retained by the trial court to see if an injunction was available against the auditor and treasurer from assessing and collecting further amounts due as a result of the Co *149 lumbus City Ordinance certified to them. The trial court held, in dismissing the city of Columbus as a defendant, that the city was not a proper party to this determination. In urging its dismissal, the city asserted that once its ordinance was certified to the county auditor it could not correct its action and was not a proper party to the action. The action was retained against the auditor apd treasurer, with the primary issue being whether the Columbus City Ordinance making assessments against plaintiff for sidewalk construction was timely submitted to the auditor and treasurer for assessment and collection.

The auditor and treasurer take no position as to whether the Columbus City Ordinance was properly passed and certified to them for assessment and collection. They state that this is a matter for the city of Columbus to resist as it does not affect them, and that a prospective injunction restraining them from assessing or collecting further sidewalk assessments against plaintiff will not burden them.

The city of Columbus has elected not to file an appellee’s brief, either on behalf of the auditor or treasurer or otherwise; hence, this court has no brief supporting the merits of the trial court judgment.

The trial court judgment merely conclusively states that the Columbus City Ordinances were properly certified for collection, but gives no reason therefor.

The case was tried to the court based on the following stipulation of facts:

“1. On April 7, 1972, Plaintiff and Ralph W. Wymer purchased a parcel of real estate known as 838 Bryden Road, Columbus, Ohio (Auditor’s Parcel No. 010-28806), from Kalman Renov. At that time a sidewalk existed on the property. They had no knowledge of the City of Columbus having installed this sidewalk.
“2. On April 16, 1973, the Columbus City Council passed Ordinance No. 534-73 levying a special assessment for the construction costs of this and other sidewalks. On April 8, 1974, an amendment to said Ordinance was passed with no substantial change (No. 540-74). Copies of both assessing ordinances are attached hereto, marked Exhibits A and B and incorporated herein.
“3. On August 7, 1975, the City certified the special assessment to the County Auditor (Auditor No. SD-50306). A copy of the transmittal letter is attached hereto, marked Exhibit C and incorporated herein.
“4. The amount of the assessment is $1,107.28, plus interest in the amount of $374.87, for a total of $1,482.15. The balance still due and payable is $1,104.16, plus penalties accrued since May 7, 1979.
“5. Plaintiff is successor in interest to the above mentioned Ralph W. Wymer.
“6. On or about May 1,1976, plaintiff completed the purchase of a parcel of real estate known as 1050 Bryden Road, Columbus, Ohio (Auditor’s Parcel No. 010-22186). At that time, a sidewalk existed on the property. Plaintiff had no knowledge of the City of Columbus having installed this sidewalk.
“7. The assessing ordinances referred to in paragraph 2 above also levied a special assessment for the construction costs of this sidewalk. The certification of the assessment referred to in paragraph 3 above also contained this assessment.
“8. The amount of the assessment is $638.37, plus interest in the amount of $216.14, for a total of $854.51. The balance still due and payable is $469.94, plus penalties accrued since May 7, 1979.
“9. At no time did plaintiff receive notice of the assessments set out m paragraph 2.”

Plaintiff concedes that Ordinance No. 534-73, which was passed on April 16, 1973, was a validly enacted assessing ordinance. An amendment to that ordinance was passed on April 8,1974, with the only changes being a deletion of some of the names on the original ordinance. No changes were made in the assessments *150 against the two parcels of real estate which are subjects of this action.

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Bluebook (online)
440 N.E.2d 1370, 2 Ohio App. 3d 147, 2 Ohio B. 162, 1981 Ohio App. LEXIS 9934, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wymer-v-city-of-columbus-ohioctapp-1981.