Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Co. v. City of Muncie
Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway Co. v. City of Muncie
Opinion of the Court
This matter arose by an appeal by appellant from an assessment made against two described portions of ground held and used by it for depot purposes in the city of Muncie, which assessment was made on account of the improvement of that portion of High street immediately north of said grounds!
The east curb line of the improvement as established extends south and beyond the north line of appellant’s station grounds ten feet. The west curb line stops two feet north of said line. A line drawn from the south end of the. east curb line to the south end of the west curb line crosses appellant’s north boundary line thirty-four feet west of the east curb line. There is therefore a section of improvement that occupies appellant’s grounds, such encroachment being in the form of a triangle ten feet wide at the east end and tapering to a point at a distance of thirty-four feet west of the east curb line. The first description shown on the assessment roll against appellant is for its station grounds ten feet wide north and south along the east side of the improvement, and extending east a distance of 150 feet. The second description is for a part of said station grounds, lying immediately south of. the south end of the said street and being thirty-four feet wide east and west and extending south 150 feet.
Appellant appealed from the assessment against both of said described tracts to the Delaware Circuit Court. Said appeal being taken under the provisions of §8716 Bums 1914, Acts 1909 p. 412. That part of said section authorizing an appeal reads as follows:
“Provided, That any owner of a lot or parcel of land so assessed as aforesaid shall have a right to take an appeal to the circuit or superior court of the county in which said city or town is located, by filing his verified petition with .such court of said county and giving bond
Appellant in its petition filed below after setting out the proceedings in reference to said street improvement and the assessment of the two parts of its depot grounds, alleged that: “Said real estate so assessed for improvement of said High street does not abut upon said improvement and it is not liable for assessment therefor; that said property is used wholly for the purposes set out and will not be benefited to the amount so assessed against it for said improvement, or at all, and that the amount so assessed against same for said
From a judgment refusing appellant any relief it appeals. The question as to whether an appeal lies from the action of the circuit court to this court having been raised, the court on its own motion called for an oral argument upon the question. Both divisions of this court heard the argument, and additional briefs have since been filed by appellant and appellee upon that question.
Appellant’s petition filed in the circuit court appears to be grounded upon the theory that its property therein described was not liable to assessment. The specific allegation being, “Said real estate so assessed for improvement of said High Street does not abut upon said improvement and is not liable to assessment therefor,”although this is followed by the allegation that “said
The contention of appellant in its brief filed herein before oral argument was not that either of the tracts had been assessed too much, but that they were not subj ect to any assessment, because neither tract abutted on the improvement. All of appellant’s “Points and Authorities” related to that one question, so that the only question which appellant attempted to present for our determination was whether the property assessed was subject to assessment.
Section 8716, supra, provides that the decision of the board of public works or city council as to all “benefits shall be final and conclusive” with the provision that the owner of the land which is liable to assessment may appeal to the circuit or superior court. The purpose of such appeal is to determine to correctness of the amount of the assessment and not for the purpose of determining whether the land is liable to an assessment. If the land is not liable to an assessment no appeal can be taken to the circuit or superior court.
As was said by this court in Buckingham v. Kerr, supra, “On appeal to the circuit court the only question that may be reviewed is the amount of the assessment. To avail himself of the benefit of an appeal to the circuit court a landowner must admit, at least for the purpose of the appeal, that his land is liable to be assessed for some amount. As to lands not liable to be assessed, the right of appeal is expressly denied. §8716, 'supra. In the case at bar the only remedy is by injunction.”
The appeal is therefore dismissed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.