Young v. Edna Independent School Dist.

34 S.W.2d 857
CourtTexas Commission of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 21, 1931
DocketNo. 1242-5296
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 34 S.W.2d 857 (Young v. Edna Independent School Dist.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Commission of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Young v. Edna Independent School Dist., 34 S.W.2d 857 (Tex. Super. Ct. 1931).

Opinion

ORIT2Í, J.

This suit was filed in the district court of Jackson county, Tex., by John W. Young against Edna independent school district et al. to restrain the collection of certain school taxes for said district, and also to restrain'the issuance of the bonds of said district in the sum of $65,000. The district judge, in chambers, granted a temporary restraining order, and set the case for hearing on an application for the temporary injunction. On a hearing, which seems to have been a final one, the temporary injunction was refused and final judgment was entered sustaining a general demurrer to Young’s petition. This judgment was affirmed • by the Court of Civil Appeals. 9 S.W.(2d) 510, 511. The case is in the Supreme Court on writ of error granted on application of Young.

The district court having sustained a general demurrer, we must treat all of the allegations of the petition as true.

Young alleges that he is a landowner and property tax payer in Blair common school district No. 26 of Jackson county, and also a land owner and property tax payer in the Edna independent school district.

Young then alleges the passage of the Special Act of the 39th Legislature, H. B. 558, c. 178, p. 539, Special Acts of said Legislature, approved March 18,1925, creating the present Edna independent school district of Jackson [858]*858county, Tex., and defining its boundaries. It is then alleged that prior to the passage of the above act the old Edna independent school district also existed with certain defined boundaries, and that by the terms of the 1925 act these boundaries were enlarged, and certain additional territory detached from certain named commoft school districts, and added to the new Edna district. It is then alleged that at the time the act of 1925 became effective, the Blair common school district of Jackson county, a part of whose territory was detached therefrom, and added to the new Edna district, had' an outstanding bonded indebtedness of $8,000, and that the old Edna district, all of whose territory was included in the new Edna district, had outstanding bonds in the sum of $14,000. There is no allegation that any of the other districts affected by the 1925 act had any outstanding indebtedness. Furthermore, there is no allegation that the Blair common school district as changed is unable to discharge its indebtedness by a tax levy within constitutional and statutory limitations.

It is then alleged that the act in question attempts to place upon the territory thereby detached from the common school districts above mentioned and added to the new Edna district the taxes, both maintenance and bond, of the old Edna district, without a vote of the new Edna district, in violation of section 3 of article 7 of our State Constitution. It is also alleged that the new Edna district is attempting to levy and collect such taxes without having held an election or elections for such purposes. It is also alleged that the act attempts to place on the new Edna district a part of the bonds of the Blair district without. a vote of the new Edna district.

It is also alleged that the new Edna district is about to issue bonds in the sum of $65,000' and is about to levy a tax on the property of such district to pay the interest thereon, and create the proper sinking fund therefor, sdid bonds and taxes having been duly authorized by an election held in said new district after the passage of the 1925 act.

The prayer seeks a permanent injunction restraining the levying and collection of all taxes attempted to be levied and collected by the new Edna independent school district on that part of Young’s land which was in the old Blhir district prior -to the passage of the 1925 act, both for maintenance, and for the payment of the bonds of the old Edna district and the Blair district. Also the prayer seeks a permanent injunction restraining the issuance of the bonds of the new Edna district, and the levying and collection of the taxes voted therefor.

The act creating the new Edna district contains the following provision:

“Sec. 5. Said Edna Independent School District is hereby made liable for and shall pay such proportion of the bond indebtedness of the adjoining common school district in the proportion that the assessed value of the portion of each of said common school districts included within the limits of the said Edna Independent School District as herein created, shall bear to the entire assessed value of said common school district from which said portion is taken as such assessed values are shown upon the last preceding county tax assessment roll; and thereafter said Edna Independent School District shall pay either directly or through the officers of said common school district the proportion of the interest and principal of such bonded indebtedness for which it is liable.”

It is contended by Young that the above-quoted provision of the act of 1925 creating the new Edna district renders the entire act unconstitutional and void, because such provision is in violation of section 3, art. 7, of our State Constitution. In this connection it is contended that the effect of the act is to impose the debts of the old Edna district and also a part of the debts of the Blair district on the new Edna district by fiat of the Legislature without a vote of the property tax paying voters of the district thereon as required by the constitutional provision above cited. In support of this contention, Young cites Millhollon v. Stanton Ind. School District (Tex. Com. App.) 231 S. W. 332, and Burns v. Dilley County Line Independent School Dist. (Tex. Com. App.) 295 S. W. 1091.

Under authority of Lyford Independent School District v. Willamar Independent School District, 34 S.W.(2d) 854, this day decided by this section of the commission, we hold that the validating act passed by the Regular Session of the 41st Legislature of Texas, being S. B. 384, c. 298, p. 666 (Vernon’s Ann. Civ. St. art. 2802a), fully set out in the above-mentioned opinion, has effect to validate and make legal the new Edna independent school district, together with all taxes and bonds voted by the new district, and that regardless of whether such district was valid at the time of its creation or not, a question we do not now pass on.

Furthermore under the authority of the case last above cited we hold that the Blair common school district whose territory in part was detached therefrom and added to the Edna district has no contract or vested right in laws fixing its boundaries and it cannot be asserted by such district, nor by any taxpayer thereof that an act reducing its area is invalid where the part left has sufficient property to pay such indebtedness within constitutional and statutory limitations. See also El Dorado Independent School District v. Tisdale (Tex. Com. App.) 3 S.W.(2d) 420. The case last cited is also cited in the Lyford Case and there fully discussed.

[859]*859It follows from what we have said that all of that part of Young’s petition which seeks to enjoin the issuance and sale of the "bonds of the new Edna independent school district in the sum of $65,000, and the levying and collection of the tax duly voted for such purposes, states no cause of action.

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34 S.W.2d 857, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/young-v-edna-independent-school-dist-texcommnapp-1931.