181 Ga. 187 | Ga. | 1935
Lead Opinion
This case came on writ of error from the superior court of Fulton County, and the judgment was affirmed by this court. Georgia Power Co. v. Decatur, 179 Ga. 471 (176 S. E. 494). The Supreme Court of the United States reversed that decision, and remanded the case to us for further proceedings not inconsistent with their opinion. Georgia Power Co. v. Decatur, 295 U. S. 165 (55 Sup. Ct. 701, 79 L. ed. 702). The judgment was reversed because we held that the rejection of testimony offered on the trial, to the effect that the paving in question was of no benefit to the company, was immaterial. By reference to the opinion it appears that the Supreme Court of the United States so held because it construed our decision to hold that our State statute which authorized, and the ordinance which directed, an assessment for the cost of improvements required as the basis of their operation the existence of benefits. In this connection the Supreme Court of the United States said: “As we read its decision, the court below
We did not mean to so construe our State statutes and the ordinances adopted thereunder, notwithstanding our opinion was so unhappily written as to be open to such construction. At the time the case was before us, the plaintiff in error was insisting that the paving assessment was illegal because of no benefit to it. This contention had been previously made. When the city proposed the paving, the power company objected, and offered, unless it was relieved of the burden, to surrender its franchise and remove its tracks from the streets. This offer was declined by the city, and on petition of the city the power company was restrained from abandoning its lines. That judgment was affirmed by both this court and the Supreme Court of the United States. 168 Ga. 705 (149 S. E. 32), 262 U. S. 432 (43 Sup. Ct. 613, 67 L. ed. 1065). The Supreme Court of the United States held that the 5-cent rate fare contract made between the city and the Collins Park Company was still in force and binding on the Georgia Power Company, that by the contract the city gave its consent to the use of its streets by the power company, adopted this court’s construction of the acts of'
Now, before the mandate of the Supreme Court of the United States has been made the judgment of this court in the case, the City of Decatur, alleging that we have not construed the right under the Georgia law to make paving assessments against street-railway companies using the streets to rest on benefits to the companies, and that the decision of this court, as construed by the Supreme Court of the United States, leaves open and undecided the question whether assessments against street-railway companies for street improvements, in respect to streets occupied by their tracks, are sustainable only upon the theory of special benefits to such railway companies, or whether such assessments are sustainable under the police power of the State to alter or amend corporate charters, moves that in giving further proceeding to the case we pass upon this question, and either affirm or give direction to the lower court in the case accordingly. The power company resists this motion, contending that the question has been decided aversely to the contention of the city; that in any event this court is without jurisdiction to consider the case further; and that all we can do is to reverse the judgment.and remand the case to the lower court for another trial not inconsistent with the opinion of the United States Supreme Court. So it becomes necessary for us to consider the proper construction under the Georgia law of the right to assess the costs of street paving against the street railway using the streets paved, and also what further jurisdiction we may now take of the case.
We deal first with the question of jurisdiction. The question is novel in this court. Heretofore we have not been confronted with a similar situation. Ordinarily this court loses jurisdiction of a case with the passing of the term at which it is decided, or with the filing of the remittitur in the case in the court below. After the term at which the case was decided has adjourned, or after the remittitur has been filed in the court below, this court, under the Code of 1933, § 24-4544, will not entertain any motion for re
If we should hold that we have no authority to give any direction other than to send the case to the lower court to be tried not inconsistently with the opinion of the United States Supreme Court, it would mean that we held that this court construed the right to pave the street, and to assess a reasonable portion of the cost thereof against a street-railway company occupying and using the street with its tracks, to require under our law, as its basis, special benefit to the railway company, and that the United States Supreme Court was correct in so construing our opinion of our law; whereas such is not the construction we-intended to place upon our law in such cases. It would mean that the Georgia Power Company in this case might evade the payment of the assessment for which, according to the facts of the case under our law as we construe it, the company is liable, and might enable it to- avoid the payment of this obligation on the false theory that we construe the right to make
Now let us consider the proper construction to be placed on the Georgia law authorizing pavement of the street in question,.
There is no question as to the regularity of the assessment under the general law of the State, and the charter of the city as amended, and the ordinances duly enacted thereunder. It has already been determined that the paving was done and that the assessment therefor was made in conformity to the law. Payment therefor is undertaken to be avoided by the power company on the ground that the pavement was of no benefit to the company. It has been held by this court, in construing the law of the State in reference to street paving and cost thereof, that a street railway could not defend against the payment on the ground of no benefit. In Georgia Railway & Electric Co. v. Atlanta, 144 Ga. 722 (87 S. E. 1058), it was held that “a street-railway company which owns a right of way on the side of a street in a municipality, which right of way is 30 feet wide and is occupied by a double track, is not exempt from assessment for a sanitary sewer in the street on which it abuts, on the ground that the railway company can not receive any benefit from the improvement so long as its property is subjected to the present particular use.”
In Hayden v. Atlanta, 70 Ga. 817, wherein it was questioned that the legislature of this State had authority by amendment to its charter to authorize the City of Atlanta to grade, pave, and improve its streets and to assess the costs of the improvement against the abutting real estate, this court held that such assessment was not such exercise of the tax power of the city as.to require same to be uniform and ad valorem, that it was not taking private property for public use without compensation, but it was the exercise of governmental powers by a municipality which is part of the government of the State, and is part of the police power of the State conferred on the city. It was also held, which is the law of the State, that every person in this State owes a duty to work the public roads, and it is in the power of the legislature, representing the public, to compel the performance of this duty. In this connection this court said: “Every person in this State owes a duty to the public to work the public roads and highways, and it is in the power of the legislature, representing the public, to compel a performance of this duty, and it may confer upon municipal corporations this power; it is also competent to authorize these corporations to have
It is not our purpose to hold, where the legislative authority is manifestly abused, that such would not be the subject of inquiry by the court. While it was not in point or necessary to determine the case, this court stated, in City of Atlanta v. Gate City Street Railroad Co., supra, as follows: “We do not intend to decide that, where the city exercises this great power in an arbitrary manner and without sufficient reason, in a proper ease made the jury may not consider the necessity for the improvement, or its unreasonableness, or whether the improvement . . is to be made out of such costly materials as may result to the great injury of the citizen owning property along said street. .- . And while the city may exercise its legislative discretion as to when the improvement shall be made and the material with which it may be made, yet it is for the jury to determine under all the facts whether the same is reasonable or whether there be a necessity therefor.” The court did not in this case expressly hold that even where the city arbitrarily exercises its legislative authority such worrld be a subject of inquiry by the courts; yet it may be assumed as a sound principle that where the legislative authority is manifestly abused by the city, the same would be inquired into by the courts in a proper case made. For instance, a case that might be a proper subject for such inquiry may be imagined. Suppose the street had just been paved and the railway company had paid its just portion of the cost of the paving, and the city were to decide to repave it out of marble or more costly material, such would appear to be that manifest abuse of the legislative authority as to bring it within the inquiry of the court. In the case before us, however, no such contention is made. The question made, that the paving is of no benefit to the company, when considered under the.law applicable to paving assessments against street-railway companies, does not come within the rule that it may be subject to the inquiry of the- courts.
We do not herein take issue with the Supreme Court of the United States. We would not circumvent its opinion. Its de
There is another cause, -not inconsistent with the opinion of the United States Supreme Court, why the judgment of the lower court should be affirmed. The direction of the verdict was demanded. The paving in question was commenced in May, 1925, and completed in May, 1926. While the street-railway company protested against the pavement and threatened to abandon its line on account of same, yet it took no legal steps to prevent the paving. “Where a city has jurisdiction and power to make a contract for street improvements, and such contract is illegal for some reason, due to irregularity or illegality in the exercise, of the power conferred upon the city, no assessment can be levied and enforced against the ovlners of abutting property, if they act promptly in attacking the illegal contract before the improvements have been made; but if the owners of abutting property wait until the improvements have been made by the contractor and they have received the benefits thereof, they will be estopped from attacking the illegality of the assessment upon the ground that the contract under which the improvements were made was illegal, the illegality not arising from lack of jurisdiction or power to make the contract under which the improvements were made, but from an illegal exercise of such jurisdiction or power. A mere protest against street improvements, or a mere threat to take legal proceedings to prevent such improvements, is not sufficient to defeat such estoppel. Where such estoppel is operative, it will be enforced at law or in summary proceedings, as well as where parties are seeking affirmative relief in equity against the' enforcement of assessments for street improvements.” Bower v. Bainbridge, 168 Ga. 617 (148 S. E. 517). “After the mayor and general council, on the report of its street committee, finally adopts an ordinance establishing a taxing district for a proposed improvement, and providing for the improvement, and the same is not stopped by injunction or other legal process, then the owners will be concluded from further objecting thereto, either as to the form in which the work is done, or the map made, or any other technicality connected therewith; and when such owners do not take steps to enjoin such ordinance or the assessments levied on their property until the improvement has been practically completed, and the city has expended a large sum in
It would seem useless to send the case back to the lower court for another trial, which, if tried in accordance with the proper construction of the law of this State, would necessarily result in a verdict for the city. May we here suggest that if we are wrong in our construction of the case, our judgment herein is open to further review and correction by the Supreme Court of the United States.
The decision heretofore rendered by this court in Georgia Power Co. v. Decatur, 179 Ga. 471 (supra), is hereby so modified as to malee clear the intention of this court as expressed in the foregoing opinion.
Judgment affirmed.
Concurrence Opinion
coneurriug specially. I concur in the result reached, but not in all that is said in the opinion. On the question whether this court has jurisdiction to render any judgment other than to make the judgment of the United States Supreme Court the judgment of this court, my concurrence is restricted to the facts in this case. It would seem to be wiser so to limit the language in' this respect that the ruling will not furnish a precedent for extending the jurisdiction. Legislation, rather than judicial construction, may be found necessary.
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting. I can not agree with the learned gentlemen that this court has any jurisdiction in this case. The judgment having been reversed by the Supreme Court of the United States, the appropriate procedure, in my opinion, would be to make the judgment of that court the judgment of this court.