Keller v. Bare
Keller v. Bare
Opinion of the Court
The main question in the case, and, indeed,
"Under the provisions of chapter 2, title 7, of the Code, the township trustees have no authority to collect road taxes or to receive the same when collected. The township clerk is made the custodian of the road funds so far as the road supervisors are required to account therefor. If the supervisor fails or neglects to pay over taxes to the clerk, it would seem that, as the clerk is the officer designated by law to receive and hold the funds, he is the proper party to maintain an action upon the bond of a supervisor for failure to pay over or account for money coming into his hands. It is true, the supervisor is required to make settlement with the township trustees. Code, § 996. But the trustees have no authority to receive the taxes, and, indeed, the same section of the statute contemplates that, at the time of such settlement, the funds are in the hands of the township clerk, because, by other provisions of the statute, the supervisors are required to pay over the funds to the clerk.
II. Complaint is made because the defendants were allowed to interpose a demurrer to the petition as amended, without withdrawing the answer to the original petition. In regard to this, we deeia it sufficient to say that by the amendment the cause of action was so materially and radically changed that the answer was not at all applicable thereto, and it was wholly immaterial whether it was withdrawn or not.
III. The defendants objected to the amendment, and in
Affirmed.
Reference
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