29 N.W.2d 189 | Iowa | 1947
On May 3, 1946, there was filed with defendant Albers, county superintendent of schools in Hardin county, a petition under what is now Code chapter 276 (all Code references are to the Code of 1946), asking the establishment of a consolidated independent school district in certain described territory in Hardin county. The petition was signed by one hundred ten voters residing within the proposed district. Accompanying the petition was an affidavit of Goretska, an elector in the described territory, stating the number of qualified voters residing therein is two hundred fourteen. (We do not overlook plaintiffs' contention that Goretska was not sworn and there was therefore no affidavit in law — a matter to be considered later.)
The county superintendent fixed May 20, 1946, at noon, as the final date for filing in his office objections to the petition, and published notice thereof as provided by Code section
Code section
The county superintendent overruled the objections to the petition, entered an order fixing the boundaries for the proposed school corporation, and published notice thereof, all as provided by section
At the special election which followed, three hundred fifty-one votes were cast. One hundred ninety-six were affirmative, one hundred forty-three negative, and twelve ballots were spoiled. Subsequently an election was held at which directors for the new district were chosen. (See section 276.18.) Five days before the first election plaintiffs filed in the district court their petition for a writ of certiorari.
Certiorari lies when "specifically authorized by statute; or where an inferior tribunal * * * is alleged to have exceeded its, or his proper jurisdiction or otherwise acted illegally." Rule 306, Rules of Civil Procedure. It is not claimed this action is specifically authorized by statute nor that there was any illegality by defendant superintendent and board other than excess of jurisdiction. We are thus concerned only with the question of jurisdiction of defendants to establish the district subject to the outcome of the special election on that question.
[1] I. We consider first the matter of withdrawal of signatures from the original petition. As stated, the Goretska affidavit says the number of voters in the territory involved (thirty-five sections) is two hundred fourteen. Upon the trial in district court it was agreed there actually were three hundred *1054
eighty-six such voters. However, Code section
As stated, the original petition must be signed by one third of the voters in the territory described. (Code section
[2] It is almost universally held that signers to such a petition as here involved may withdraw therefrom with or without cause at any time before it is filed with the officer to whom addressed, but that no withdrawals may be made after final action is taken. 47 Am. Jur., Schools, section 16; 56 C.J., Schools and School Districts, section 66; annotation 126 A.L.R. 1031, 1034, 1054; note to Sim v. Rosholt,
The view expressed by a number of authorities, including at least two of our own decisions, is that signers to a petition such as this cannot withdraw their names, at least as a matter of right and without showing good cause, after the officer or board to whom the petition is addressed has acquired jurisdiction. Annotation 126 A.L.R. 1031, 1056, 1057; Seibert v. Lovell,
Some decisions, including several of our own, hold that jurisdiction is acquired when a petition is filed in proper form. *1055
See annotation 126 A.L.R. 1031, 1057; State ex rel. Ondler v. Rowe,
[3] It is not necessary to determine whether jurisdiction attaches with the filing of the original petition or upon the giving of notice. In either event, jurisdiction was acquired here before the withdrawal of the fifty-two signers. And such withdrawal did not deprive defendants of jurisdiction to proceed further.
Although withdrawal of signatures to a petition after jurisdiction has attached does not deprive the officer of jurisdiction to proceed, it should be considered by him in passing upon the merits of the petition. Seibert v. Lovell, supra; Dunham v. Fox, supra; 56 C.J., Schools and School Districts, section 66. This rule, of course, does not aid plaintiffs' challenge to the jurisdiction here. Incidentally, the record seems to show the withdrawals were considered by defendants in passing upon the merits of the petition.
[4] We think it important that the action taken by defendants was subject to the vote of the electors in the special election upon the establishment of the district. In practical effect, all that defendants did was to find the proposal made in the petition of sufficient merit to warrant its submission to the electors. In several of the decisions cited by plaintiffs apparently there was no provision for such an election but the will of the electors was evidenced merely by the number of signers to the petition. Here, after the opposing factions had waged their campaigns, a substantial majority of the electors voted for the establishment of the district. Apparently this majority included some *1056 who originally filed objections to the project. We are not disposed to annul the proceedings upon narrow or technical grounds.
We have held emphatically that the statutes here in question are to be liberally construed. A majority of the electors in the territory involved has an absolute right to organize into a single district provided the territory sought to be consolidated is such as the statute contemplates. Courts will go no further than to see that the methods pursued are in substantial accord with those prescribed by statute. State ex rel. Ondler v. Rowe,
" * * * if such perfection of proceedings is to be demanded of them, few, if any, organizations of school districts could successfully withstand attacks at the hands of discordant and contentious minorities. The courts very properly * * * go to the limit of liberality in giving effect to the voice of a majority, wherever it can reasonably be done without violence to the manifest spirit and intent of the legislature."
See, also, as bearing on this branch of the case, Peverill v. Board of Supervisors,
The conclusion above reached makes it unnecessary to determine the effect, if any, of the filing of the additional petition with one hundred fourteen new signers.
[5] II. Plaintiffs contend an oath was not administered to Goretska when he signed his affidavit and therefore the paper was not, in law, an affidavit. The trial court held in effect plaintiffs were not entitled to raise this contention for the first time upon the trial but also went on to hold the affidavit sufficient. We agree with at least the first of these conclusions.
Upon the second day of the certiorari hearing Goretska, as a witness for plaintiffs, testified nothing was said between him and the notary who signed the jurat; he was handed the paper in the notary's place of business and asked to sign it by Walker, an officer of the independent school district of Buckeye; Goretska said he would have to read it first; he did read it; Walker said it would have to be signed before a notary public; Goretska said he guessed it was all right, signed it, the notary signed and *1057 sealed it; he knew it was an affidavit to be filed with the county superintendent for the establishment of this territory as a school district; Walker paid the notary a quarter; he "figured" the affidavit was true in his best judgment.
At the end of this testimony, and almost at the conclusion of the hearing, plaintiffs amended their petition to raise for the first time the issue that no affidavit accompanied the original petition. Upon defendants' motion these allegations were stricken as coming too late. The day before the trial, four months after the action was commenced, plaintiffs had filed an amended and substituted petition containing thirty-seven paragraphs.
Rule 315, Rules of Civil Procedure, provides in part that in certiorari "the court shall * * * hear the parties upon the record made by the return. In its discretion, it may receive any transcript of the evidence taken in the original proceeding, andsuch other oral or written evidence as is explanatory of thematters contained in the return." (Italics ours.)
Nothing in the return to the writ of certiorari shows plaintiffs made any claim before defendants that Goretska was not sworn or the paper signed by him was not an affidavit. Goretska's testimony upon the certiorari hearing was not explanatory of any matter contained in the return to the writ. Assuming, without deciding, the trial court might have considered this oral testimony, it was not an abuse of discretion to rule the issue was not raised in proper time.
Quite in point is Dickey v. Civil Service Comm.,
[6] Further, as stated, Code section
Our conclusion makes it unnecessary to consider the trial court's holding that the Goretska testimony does not show he was not sworn when the affidavit was signed.
[7] III. Finally, plaintiffs contend (1) under Code section
Both these contentions were first advanced in the certiorari proceeding. Under our holding in Division II we might ignore at least the second of these contentions. However, we prefer to consider them both. The argument in support of each contention is very technical and lacks substantial merit.
Code section
"Consolidated school corporations containing an area of not less than sixteen government sections of contiguous territory in one or more counties may be organized as independent districts for the purpose of maintaining a consolidated school, in the manner hereinafter provided."
Plaintiffs argue, "under this statute, it would seem that onlyconsolidated school corporations may organize as an independentdistrict for the purpose of maintaining a consolidated school." However, they have changed from plural to singular the term "independent districts" as found in the statute.
Section
[8] While ordinary rules of grammar are usually observed in the interpretation of statutes, such rules are not conclusive. Strict adherence to technical grammatical rules is not required. 50 Am. Jur., Statutes, section 252; 59 C.J., Statutes, section 589. See, also, State ex rel. Winterfield v. Hardin County Rural Elec. Coop.,
In accord with the evident intent of the legislature, we hold that under section
[9] The contention that the law makes no provision for a "consolidated independent school district" is largely based on Code section
"[1] The independent school district of (naming city, town, township, or village * * *), in the county of (naming county), state of Iowa; or, [2] the rural independent school district of (some appropriate name or number), township of (naming township), in the county of (naming county), state of Iowa; or, [3] the consolidated school district of (some appropriate name or number), in the county of (naming county), state of Iowa."
We have observed in effect that the above statute names the public school corporations recognized by the laws of this *1060
state. Thompson v. Roberts,
However, the district established here is not only a consolidated district but an independent district. Code section
After considering all questions raised, the judgment is — Affirmed.
OLIVER, C.J., and BLISS, HALE, SMITH, MANTZ, MULRONEY, and HAYS, JJ., concur.