Noble v. City of Des Moines
Noble v. City of Des Moines
Opinion of the Court
It appears that Kingman Boulevard is a residence street in the northwest part of Des Moines, running east and west from Cottage Grove Avenue to Forty-fifth Street. It is 56 feet wide. A curbed strip 20 feet wide in the middle of the street is reserved for park purposes, leaving 18 feet on each side of the reserved strip. The street in question was paved originally about 1908, with an asphalt surface on a concrete base. By a new or amended resolution of necessity, four or five blocks were omitted, so that this case concerns property between Twenty-fifth Street and Thirty-first Street. In the spring of 1915, the original paving had become worn in places, and in need of repairs, and the council passed resolutions- for repairs by patching, as hereinafter stated. A part of the entire top surface was removed, and repaired by a new surface, but this was not done the entire distance. There was no change or repair in the concrete foundation; only the old surface was taken off, down to the concrete. The amended resolution was passed May 19, 1915, and readopted May 26, 1915. May 19, 1915, was fixed by the council as a time for considering objections to said proposed resolution; but no objections were filed. The contract was let May 26, 1915. Bids were advertised for in accordance with the resolution, and the contract let and the work begun. Some of the property owners made what appellants call informal, verbal objections, as the work progressed. As to the character of such objections, one witness says that he had some talk with the parties engaged in the work; that there were some workmen there with their tools, picking up the boulevard at Twenty-fifth Street, and he asked them what they were going do do, and they said they were going to repair it. Another witness says that, while the work was being done, he had a talk with the overseer on the job, who was boss of the tearing-up .gang; that, when they
It is thought by appellants that the Ellyson case is not controlling, because that case was an injunction case, and the instant
The city council had the power to pass such resolutions as were passed, and, as pointed out in the Ellyson case, even though the work was not done precisely’ in accordance with, the resolutions, this does not defeat jurisdiction. Under our prior holding, and under the record in this case, it is shown without dispute that every necessary jurisdictional step was taken by the council. It may be, as contended by appellants, that a resolution to build a sewer would not justify the work of paving thereunder; but that is not the situation here, as pointed out in the Ellyson ease.
Appellees do not dispute this legal proposition. We are not quite sure that we understand just what appellants’ claim is as to this. We do understand, and appellants state clearly, that they claim that the assessments are entirely void, and that, therefore, no assessment should have been made. If this is all there is to it, then we have no question but that the district court, or this court now, could, under the statute and authorities, determine all questions touching the validity thereof, and set it aside entirely, if, under the record and law, that would be justified. If, however, appellants make the further claim that the district court or this court has authority to determine the amount of the assessment, then, as to that, we say that we have no doubt that there is such power in the trial court and in this court, provided there is evidence upon which to base an assessment for a different amount. If it is the thought of counsel for appellants that the trial court or this court should reduce the amount of the assessment because the cost of repairs by patching would be less than that of resurfacing, and that only the amount of the cost or benefits should be assessed, as though the work was actually done by patching, then we have to say that appellants nowhere • point out in argument any testimony showing what such cost or benefits would be, and we discover no such evidence in the record. So that there is no basis in the evidence upon which this court or the district court could make assessments in any other amounts than those fixed by the council. The evidence seems to have been directed more to the condition of the paving and to questions of jurisdiction, etc.
There is evidence in the record, and it is argued by appellants, that it is worth more to repair by patching than to resurface. But we suppose by this is meant that it would cost more for the same amount of work. If appellants mean literally that it would cost more for patching than to resurface, then it would seem that appellants have no cause for complaint, so far as the amount is concerned, if it was proper to make any assessment; but the evidence is not directed to the question as to what the cost would be for the different lots, or what the bene
“When the protests came before the whole council, then they were each and all charged with the duty to see to it that the contractor had, in good faith, substantially complied with the contract; that they should have upheld the protests of these plaintiffs; that, instead of so doing, they approved these doings, and made themselves particeps criminis with Horrabin, in the fraud he had perpetrated; that they had full power in their hands to protect the citizens, and refused to do it. ’ ’
But there was no evidence of fraudulent conduct, as in the cited case of Atkinson v. City of Webster City, 177 Iowa 659. There is no evidence that the council were not acting in good faith, and exercising their judgment.
It is also contended that the contractor did not perform the work in a proper way, and furnish suitable material, as required by his contract, and that this is evidenced by the fact that there were a few places worn in the new surfacing, and within the five years covered by the guaranty in the contract and the bond. But we think that the council were justified in finding that thpre was a substantial compliance with the contract, and that, therefore, they were authorized to make the assessments. As said in the Atkinson case, supra, even though there might be a liability on the bond for defects appearing in the pavement during the five-year period, this would not obviate the necessity for a substantial compliance with the contract, before the cost of the improvement may be assessed against the property. But in the Atkinson case, it was held that, under the evidence, there had not been a substantial compliance with the contract.
There may be some other minor matters argued, — for instance, such as that the assessment was inequitable; but these have been covered by the points discussed.
Without extending the opinion further, we reach the conclusion that the decree of the trial court was right, and it is, therefore, — Affirmed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.