100 P. 93 | Idaho | 1909
This action was commenced by the appellant, the Boise City National Bank, to test the validity of a proposed issue by the respondent city, of lateral sewer improvement bonds of Sewer Districts Nos. 104, 105, and 106,
The respondent city answered, setting forth all of the facts in regard to said transaction. Thereupon counsel for the city made a motion for judgment on the pleadings on the ground and for the reason that from the complaint and answer it appeared that the respondent city was authorized by the act of the legislature' to issue said bonds, which motion was granted and judgment accordingly entered. This appeal is from the judgment.
On February 24, 1905 (Sess. Laws 1905, p. 297), the legislature passed an act entitled: “An act to provide for the issuance of bonds for improvement of streets and laying of sewers in incorporated cities, towns and villages, and for the payment of the cost of such improvement and laying of sewers by installments, and making the provisions hereof applicable to cities, towns and villages which have levied special assessments for improvements or for laying sewers.” Said bonds were issued, or were to be issued, under the provisions of said act, That act being a general law, it is contended by counsel for
The real question presented for decision is whether the provisions of the Boise City charter of 1907 in regard to constructing sewers and assessing the property benefited and collecting from the property owners the cost thereof is the law by which those matters must be done, or whether that charter is supplemented by the act of 1905, and the provisions of that act must be construed as additional authority conferred on Boise City. There is no express repeal of the provisions of the act of 1905 in said 1907 charter, and the main question presented is, Should the act of 1905 be construed as additional authority to the city in the issuance of sewer bonds, or must the action of the city in that regard be controlled by its charter provisions ?
We have in this state cities which were organized under and granted certain powers, by special charters, enacted by the legislature prior to the adoption of our state constitution. Sec. 2, art. XXI of our state constitution, continued such special charters in force after the constitution went into effect.
It is contended by counsel for appellant that the city charter, as amended and re-enacted in 1907, contains all of the powers that the city has in regard to the construction of sewers and the method of levying assessments and collecting taxes for the payment of such sewers; while it is contended by counsel for respondent that the city charter is not as full and complete as it ought to be in regard to the making of improvements and laying of sewers, and that the bonding act of 1905 supplements the charter, and must be construed as additional authority for levying assessments and the collection of the same, and for the payment of the same in installments and issuing bonds therefor. Section 48 of the charter provides the manner in which all special assessments for' certain purposes must be made, and provides that whenever any special assessment is levied, it shall be the duty of the clerk to prepare a special assessment-roll and to collect said assessments. Under the general law of 1905 it is provided that such assessments may be paid in ten annual installments and that bonds -may be issued therefor. The city proposes to issue the bonds involved in this suit under said general law. .
Counsel for the city also contends that said general law of 1905 is made for the benefit of all cities operating under a special charter, as well as those organized and operating under the general law. We cannot agree with that contention. It is true the legislature attempted by sec. 10 to make said general law applicable to cities organized under a special charter, but that could not be done, for the reason that special charters
Under the provisions of sec. 1, art. XII of the constitution, it is provided that cities and towns theretofore incorporated may become organized under the general laws whenever the majority of the electors at a general election shall so determine, under such provisions therefor as may be made by the legislature. This clearly indicates that cities incorporated by special charter do not come under the general laws of the state until the majority of the electors of such city at a general election for that purpose shall so determine. We think it clear that the powers of Boise City in regard to creating indebtedness and paying the same must be determined by the provisions of its charter, and not by the provisions of said bonding act of 1905, which is a general law applicable to all cities incorporated under the general law for incorporating towns and cities.
It is contended by counsel for the city that the bonding act of 1905 is not inconsistent with the new charter of 1907, hut merely goes further and gives additional powers, which, it is contended, are a benefit to the people. This court cannot consider whether the provisions of said bonding act would be a benefit to the people of Boise City or not. We are called upon to determine the authority of the council of Boise City to issue such bonds in the mode and manner proposed. In 1907, two years after the bonding act of 1905 had been enacted, the legislature amended and re-enacted the Boise City charter, and if it had intended that the city should have the power granted by the act of 1905, it should have incorporated such power into the Boise City charter, as was done in the act amending the City of Lewiston special charter passed at the same session of the legislature. (See Laws 1907, p. 429, secs. 180,182.)
Where there is a special statute relating to a particular subject, the special statute will control even as against a general statute of a later date. (Lawyer v. Carpenter (Ark.), 97 S. W. 662.) We do not think the question of the repeal by implication of the general law of 1905 by the new charter of 1907 arises in this case, as the provisions of the special charter were purposely framed to cover cases like the one at bar, while the general act of 1905 applies to cities and towns organized under the general law and not to those under special •charters. The state constitution contemplates that special charters shall be amended by special acts only, and the general laws relating to the local government of the city cannot be made to apply to Boise City without the consent of a majority of the electors. This court had under consideration said provisions of the constitution in the ease of Wiggin v. City of Lewiston, 8 Ida. 527, 69 Pac. 286; and Butler v. City of Lewiston, 11 Ida. 393, 83 Pac. 234. The former case was brought to test the validity of certain bonds of the city of Lewiston, and the court gave effect to the provisions of the special charter of the city of Lewiston, and not to those of the general law. The latter case involved the legality of a bond
Sec. 6, art. XI of the constitution of California is the same as.sec. 1, art. XII of our state constitution, except that for many years it contained the following clause at the end of the section: “and cities or towns heretofore or hereafter organized, and all charters thereof framed or adopted by authority of this constitution, shall be subject to and controlled by general laws.” In Desmond v. Dunn, 55 Cal. 242, decided while said quoted clause of the constitution was in force, the court said:
“To us the general intention to emancipate municipalities as far as it consistently could be done, from the control of the legislature, is apparent; and we cannot hold that general laws for the government of such municipalities can take effect in any of them, until a majority of the electors so determine, without violating not only the spirit, but likewise the plain letter of the constitution. The intention being clear, it is our duty to give effect to it.”
As shedding some light upon this question, see, also, the concurring opinion of Mr. Justice Ross in Wood v. Election Commrs., 58 Cal. 565; Staude v. Election Commrs., 61 Cal. 313; In re Guerrero, 69 Cal. 88, 10 Pac. 261; Thomason v. Ashworth, 73 Cal. 73, 14 Pac. 615.
The evil effect of the last clause of sec. 6, art. XI, of the constitution of California, in permitting general laws relating to purely municipal affairs of local concern, to be made applicable by the legislature to cities operating under special charters without their consent, was necessarily very great. This is precisely what defendant’s contention would lead to in this case, under the same constitutional provisions, except that the provision of our ■ constitution does not contain the
If the legislature has the power under the constitution of Idaho to make the general bonding act of 1905 relating to internal governmental affairs of cities and villages apply to Boise City by merely inserting in that act a section to that effect, then the legislature may make the general act governing cities, towns and villages throughout the state, or any part thereof, apply in the same manner without a consent of the majority of the electors as is required by see. 1, art. XTT of the constitution. If the legislature could do that, it would annul said provision of the constitution entirely. To permit thejlegislature to amend special charters of cities in matters of 'local government by general laws would be contrary both to the letter and spirit of the constitution. This court held in McDonald v. Doust, 11 Ida. 14, 81 Pac. 60, 69 L. R. A. 220, that acts inconsistent with the spirit of the constitution are as much prohibited as are acts specifically enumerated and forbidden therein. (City of Lexington v. Thompson, 113 Ky. 540, 101 Am. St. Rep. 361, 68 Pac. 477, 57 L. R. A. 775.)
The act of February 24, 1905, is an example of how general legislation could be made to affect cities under special charters without the attention of the people of the city or even the members of the legislature ever being called to that fact, because no reference to its application to such cities is mentioned in the title of the bill. There is nothing in the title of this act which would indicate that it is proposed to affect or amend the charter of Boise City. The title of the act of February 24, 1905, indicates that it is a general law providing for the issuance of bonds of incorporated cities, towns and villages organized under the general incorporation laws of the state. The title is general, while in sec. 10 of said act it is provided that said act shall be construed as additional and confirmed authority to cities under special charters. That part of said act is void because it is not embraced in the title, and if it were embraced in the title, it could not affect Boise City, as above shown.
We therefore hold, under the various provisions of our constitution above quoted, that the legislature cannot amend the special charter of Boise City by a general law. Such amendment can only be made by special laws.
The judgment is therefore reversed and the eause remanded, with instructions to enter judgment in favor of the appellant as prayed for in the complaint. Costs are awarded to the appellant.