14 Wash. 5 | Wash. | 1896
The opinion of the court was delivered by
On December 8, 1894, the appellant recovered a judgment against Pierce county amounting to $3,904.02. Subsequently, it instituted this pro
“That at the time the judgment mentioned . • . . in favor of the Ledger Publishing Company was entered, and at the time the indebtedness, was attempted to be incurred, upon which indebtedness said judgment was based, the county of Pierce was indebted in an amount greater than one and one-half per cent, of its taxable property as shown by its last assessment rolls, after deducting from such indebtedness moneys on hand in the treasury belonging to the general fund, and all unpaid taxes then levied, and not delinquent,”
and
“That three-fifths of the voters of Pierce county have never assented to the incurring of the indebtedness, upon which said judgment was rendered.”
A demurrer to this answer and return was interposed by the- appellant, which demurrer was sustained by the lower court, and thereupon the auditor issued said' warrants. The treasurer (respondent here) having obtained leave of court, filed his amended answer and return, in which he denied that he had in his custody as treasurer sufficient moneys in the general fund of said county to pay the outstanding warrants drawn on said fund prior to the issuance of relator’s warrants together with the warrants in question. His amended answer also contained an allegation that the indebtedness evidenced by relator’s judgment had been incurred at a time when the county was beyond its constitutional limit of indebtedness, which latter allegation was precisely like the one contained in the original answer to which a demurrer had been sustained. Upon
But beyond this, an inspection of the record shows that this question is not involved in the present case inasmuch as no appeal was taken by the auditor or treasurer from the decision of the lower court which sustained a demurrer to this branch of the case, and while it is true that the amended pleading contained a like allegation, no further ruling was made upon it, nor was any evidence offered under this allegation upon the trial. Second: Upon the trial the appellant endeavored to show that of the outstanding warrants of said county drawn upon its general fund prior to the issuance of appellant’s warrants, there were in the aggregate $115,000 which were drawn and issued after the county had passed the limit of indebtedness provided by the constitution, and that the same were drawn and issued for debts attempted to be incurred after said county had passed said limit of indebted
“ Whenever the corporate authorities of any such county, city or town shall deem it advisable that the ratification authorized by this act shall be obtained, they shall provide therefor by ordinance or resolution, which shall specify separately the amount of each distinct class of such indebtedness so to be ratified . . .”
It further appears that at the election provided for in said resolution the proposition to validate failed to carry. The appellant offered said resolution in evi-
For these reasons the judgment and order appealed from will be reversed, and the cause remanded to the lower court with directions to proceed in accordance with this opinion.