Youngstown City v. Harper

168 N.E.2d 173, 83 Ohio Law. Abs. 129, 1959 Ohio App. LEXIS 943
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 19, 1959
DocketNo. 4034
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 168 N.E.2d 173 (Youngstown City v. Harper) 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
Youngstown City v. Harper, 168 N.E.2d 173, 83 Ohio Law. Abs. 129, 1959 Ohio App. LEXIS 943 (Ohio Ct. App. 1959).

Opinion

OPINION

By PHILLIPS, J.

By amended ordinance numbered 62500, captioned “Amending Section 14.11 of the Revised Ordinances of the City of Youngstown, Ohio,— 1952, and repealing existing Section 14.11 of said Ordinances” plaintiff city amended that section effective February 13, 1952, and prohibited the possession of “pools, lottery, policy, scheme of chance, money, property or thing of value,” or any “apparatus, device, sheets, slips, or tickets, or books of any kind designed and used for the purpose of facilitating, enabling or assisting in gambling.”

After the effective date of Amended Section 14.11 of the Revised Ordinances of the City of Youngstown defendant was arrested, charged by affidavit with violation thereof, subsequently tried, found guilty and sentenced in the Municipal Court of Youngstown. From that judgment the defendant appealed to the Court of Common Pleas, and that court affirmed the judgment of the trial court.

Plaintiff appealed to this court from the judgment of the court of common pleas contending that “the judgment of the court of common pleas is contrary to law.”

The bill of exceptions discloses that prior to introduction of evidence in the trial court the trial judge overruled defendant’s demurrer, motion to quash the affidavit .and plea in abatement.

Sec. 731.19 R. C., provides “no ordinance, resolution or bylaw shall contain more than one subject, which shall be clearly expressed in its title.”

[130]*130The law and the evidence supports the statement of defendant’s counsel by brief that “the statute makes it clear that the title shall contain the ‘subject’ of the ordinance, which, in this case, is the inhibition concerning certain forms of gambling and apparatus and devices that would facilitate these activities, and the change in penalties from a mere fine to jail sentences beginning with the first offense.”

Defendant bases her contention that the judgment of the court of common pleas is contrary to law on the statement of her counsel by brief that: “The caption as written merely demonstrates the vehicle or means by which the amendment is attempted, but gives no information as to the subject. In other words, by reading the caption we do not know that the ordinance relates to gambling and devices, nor that there is a penalty or change in the penalty. We are able to gather this information only frpm reading the body of the ordinance itself.”

We quote from McQuillin on Municipal Corporations, third edition, Volume 5, as follows:—

Section 16.16, page 185:—

“Where the law requires an ordinance to have a title, the title is part of the ordinance, and an ordinance having no title whatever or one having an insufficient is void.”

Section 16.18, page 190:—

“A requirement in a charter or statute that an ordinance embrace no more than a single subject clearly expressed in its title, while liberally construed, generally is deemed to be mandatory.”

Section 16.21, page 196:—

“Where the title to an original ordinance is sufficient to embrace the provision contained in an amendatory ordinance the title to the amendatory ordinance is also good and no inquiry need be made as to whether the title of the amendatory ordinance is of itself sufficient.
“An ordinance amending sections relating to officers, their salaries and bonds, under the title ‘An ordinance to amend sec.____, ch.____, of the city ordinance,’ is good, as the subjects are naturally connected. However, an amending ordinance, the title of which refers to the ordinance amended but which gives no notice or indication thereby of an. important change or provision of law going beyond the scope of the original ordinance, is bad.”

The question presented for our consideration and determination is whether Ordinance 62500 is void and of no effect.

Counsel for plaintiff argue that City Council conformed to the provisions of §731.19 R. C.; that Council intended to and did accomplish an amendment of the original ordinance — No. 37387; that the entire ordinance was contained in the amendatory enactment; and that the amendment changed the penalty by providing for imprisonment. The amendment was codified in Revised Ordinances of the City of Youngstown as Section 14.11, which enactment reads:—

“AN ORDINANCE
“AMENDING SECTION 14.11 OF THE REVISED ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, — 1952; AND REPEALING EXISTING SECTION 14.11 OF SAID ORDINANCES.
[131]*131“BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF YOUNGSTOWN, STATE OF OHIO:
“SECTION 1
“That Section 14.11 of the Revised Ordinances of the City of Youngstown, Ohio — 1952, passed in Council on the 13th day February, 1952, and reading as follows:
“Sec. 14.11. LOTTERIES, POLICY SLIPS, ETC.: PENALTY. Any person who shall be found to be a possessor, custodian, or depositary of any pools, lottery, policy, scheme of chance, money, property or thing of value in any manner wagered or bet upon any result or event, or of any apparatus, device, sheets, slips, tickets,' or books of any kind designed and used for the purpose of facilitating, enabling or assisting in gambling or buying or selling any such pools, lottery, ‘policy’ or scheme of chance, or making any such wagers or bets, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars.
“Each days of being such a possessor, custodian or depositary of any of the aforesaid articles, or of being found guilty of buying or selling the same, or of making any such wagers or bets, shall be construed to constitute a separate offense, and shall be punishable as provided in this section.
“Be and the same is hereby amended to read as follows:
“Sec. 14.11. LOTTERIES, POLICY SLIPS, ETC.: PENALTY. Any person who shall be found to be a possessor, custodian, or depositary of any pools, lottery, ‘policy’ scheme of chance, money, property or thing of value, in any manner wagered or bet upon any result or event, or of any apparatus, device, sheets, slips, or tickets, or books of any kind designed and used for the purpose of facilitating, enabling or assisting in gambling or buying or selling any such pools, lottery, ‘policy’ or scheme of chance, or making any such wagers or bets, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon the first conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) or imprisoned not more than thirty (30) days, or both; upon the second conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) and imprisoned not more than sixty (60) days, or both; and upon third conviction thereof, or any subsequent conviction thereof shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) and imprisoned not less than thirty (30) days nor more than six (6) months.
“Each day of being such a possessor, custodian or depositary of any aforesaid articles, or of being found guilty of buying or selling the same, or of making any such wagers or bets, shall be construed to constitute a separate offense, and, shall be punishable as provided in this section.
“SECTION 2

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
168 N.E.2d 173, 83 Ohio Law. Abs. 129, 1959 Ohio App. LEXIS 943, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/youngstown-city-v-harper-ohioctapp-1959.