79 Mich. 238 | Mich. | 1890
The plaintiff sued defendant under the .common counts for his share of the expense or value of a public sewer into which his premises are drained. It appeared that there had been two assessments, which had been set aside by chancery proceedings as absolutely illegal and void. This suit is brought to recover practically the same charges, except that an attempt was made to show by a witness what defendant ought to pay. The court held there could be no recovery.
Plaintiff claims that under the charter of Manistee, although provision is made for re-assessments, yet, if an assessment is invalid, a court may nevertheless determine for itself how much defendant ought to pay. It is a principle without exception that where a person is held liable for his special share of a public burden it must be determined by some form of assessment whereby the burden is distributed, on some uniform basis, among the persons or property that ought to contribute. It was held in Houseman v. Circuit Judge, 58 Mich. 364 (25 N. W. Rep. 369), that' the determination of such matters was one of those functions of administration which could not be laid upon courts, and that assessments could not be made under any branch of the judicial power. An
We can hardly suppose that any such absurdity was meant to be created by the Manistee charter. If it was so intended, it cannot be enforced. The power relied on by plaintiff is found in section 30 of chapter 24.
The judge at the circuit was right in his view of the law; and the judgment should be affirmed, with costs.
See Act No. 48, Local Acts of 1882.