15 Nev. 271 | Nev. | 1880
By the Court,
In 1875, by an act of the legislature of this state (Stat. 1875, 154), the town of Hamilton, in White Pine county, was disincorporated, and provision was made for the payment of its indebtedness. The board of county commissioners of that county was made a board of trustees, with certain specified powers and duties. In 1877, a supplemental act was passed (Stat. 1877, 54), providing, among other things, that whenever five hundred dollars or more shall be in the “Hamilton Debt Fund,” the board of county commissioners of White Pine county “shall advertise for sealed proposals for the surrender of c ou n ty, in deb t e d ne s s, audited and allowed by the board of county commissioners, and payable out of the Hamilton Debt Fund;” and ‘ ‘ shall accept the lowest bid or bids for the surrender of legal evidence of county indebtedness against said Hamilton Debt Fund audited; provided, that no bid for more than its par value shall be accepted by them, nor any bid, unless accompanied with the legal evidence of indebtedness proposed to be surrendered.” When any bids are accepted, it is made the duty of the county auditor “to take a description of the indebtedness to be surrendered, specifying the amount to be paid for each, the date, number, and amount thereof, and make a record thereof; and thereupon the board of county commissioners shall, by order, direct the county treasurer to purchase the warrants of indebtedness designated in the accepted bid or bids, and pay for the same out of the Hamilton Debt Fund; and all warrants so surrendered shall be canceled by the county treasurer, by writing across the face thereof, in red ink, ‘Purchased and redeemed,’ adding thereto the time when, and the amount paid therefor, signing the same officially. The order of the board of county commissioners aforesaid, together with the record made by the county auditor, as herein required, shall be sufficient vouchers for the county treasurer in the settlement of his accounts.” On the tenth day of December, 1877, the sum of seven hundred and one dollars and seventy-two cents was in
An alternative writ was issued and served, and, upon hearing, a peremptory writ was ordered, .issued, and served upon the defendants. This appeal is taken from the order last named, and a reversal is asked upon two grounds:
First — Because the law does not contemplate the redemption of a portion of a warrant. A warrant must be redeemed in full, if at all, and taken up entirely. There was not sufr ficient in the fund to purchase the warrant in full at sixty-three cents on a dollar; consequently defendants’ official duty was to reject the bid.
Second — Because mandamus does not lie, for two reasons:
1. The board has already acted in the premises, whether correctly or otherwise.
2. It seems to be claimed by plaintiffs that defendants exceeded their jurisdiction in refusing to accept the bid; therefore certiorari is the proper remedy.
There can be but one opinion as to the object of the legislature in enacting the statute of 1877, above referred to.
Besides, as before intimated, the statute makes no provision for the disposition of paid warrants. The last act required is their cancellation after surrender. There is nothing prohibiting a return to the owner of the evidence of indebtedness unpaid — nothing requiring any officer to
We think the defendants should have accepted plaintiffs’ bid and made the necessary order upon the treasurer. Those acts were specially enjoined as duties resulting from their office. The law -was fully complied with by plaintiffs, and the sole duty of defendants then, was to accept their bid if it was lowest; and otherwise to proceed as commanded by the statute. They had no discretion in the premises, and in such cases mandamus lies to enforce a performance of the specific act required. (Humboldt County v. Churchill County, 6 Nev. 30.)
Counsel for plaintiffs does not claim that defendants exceeded their jurisdiction in refusing to comply with the statute. They only rejected a bid which they were commanded to accept. Compelling the performance of such duties is the true and only office of the writ of mandamus.
The order of the court below is affirmed.