State ex rel. Fatzer v. Board of County Commissioners
State ex rel. Fatzer v. Board of County Commissioners
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
This is an original action in quo warranto by which plaintiff questions the authority of defendants to do certain acts in connection with the building of a new courthouse in Lyon county. The case is presented to the court upon the facts agreed to in the pleadings and stipulated in writing. Defendants are not charged with fraud. The pertinent facts may be stated as follows:
In 1943 our legislature passed an act (Ch. 137, Laws 1943) au
Our legislature of 1945 enacted a statute (Ch. 165, Laws 1945), now G. S. 1949, 19-1569, 1570, 1571, 1572) which repealed Chapter 137, Laws of 1943. On March 16, 1946, the then board of county commissioners adopted a resolution which again recited that the board "is of the opinion that the present courthouse building is antiquated and inadequate, a fire hazard and not suitable to remodel or recondition.” Reference was made to the previous resolution of July 23, 1943, and stated the amount that had been raised by the tax levy under that resolution, recited the enactment of Chapter 165, Laws of 1945, and created a building fund of $400,000 plus any accumulated interest thereon “for the purpose of acquiring a site of and the building, equipping and furnishing of a courthouse and jail at Emporia, Kansas, said sum to include the sum of $127,645.00 now present in said building Fund.” A one mill tax was levied upon the taxable tangible property of the county until the building fund would amount to $400,000, the tax not to extend over a period of more than ten years. No protests were filed by the electors of Lyon county, and under it a tax was levied for the years 1946 to
Under date of October 13, 1950, the then board of county commissioners adopted a resolution submitting to the electors the following proposition:
“Shall the Board of County Commissioners of Lyon County, Kansas, sell the present courthouse and county jail and the land upon which such buildings are located, as provided by law,”
Due notice of this proposal was given to the electors and the election held thereon at the general election of November 7, 1950. The vote in favor of the proposition was 3,464 and the vote against the proposition was 6,931, so the proposition was defeated. Under date of May 11, 1951, the then board of county commissioners passed a resolution similar to the one of March 16, 1946, but increasing the sum of the building fund to $490,000. So many protests were filed against that resolution that it was not submitted to a vote. Under date of April 8, 1950, the then board of county commissioners entered into a contract with Brinkman & Hagan, architects of Emporia, by which the architects were to furnish a written report to the board concerning the feasibility of remodeling the present courthouse and to furnish estimates and preliminary plans for either the remodeling of the present courthouse or for a new courthouse building to be erected upon such site, as provided by the board of county commissioners. That report was made by the architects on May 21, 1952, and the board of county commissioners adopted a resolution authorizing and directing the architects to proceed with detailed plans for building a new courthouse and jail on the site of the present courthouse. Preliminary plans were furnished, and under date of July 29, 1952, the board adopted a resolution authorizing the architects to proceed with final plans and specifications in accordance with the preliminary drawing which had been submitted and approved. Under date of August 22, 1952, the board of county commissioners (two members) adopted a resolution which summarized the previous resolutions and the amount of money that had been raised thereunder and the further fact that on that date the board of county commissioners entered into a contract with the Masonic Lodge of Emporia to rent space in the Masonic building suitable for temporary office space for the courthouse offices during the construction of the new courthouse at a rental of $1,000 per month, commencing No
Speaking in a general way, the argument of plaintiff centers around two points: First, the authority of defendants to raze the present courthouse and erect a new building on the same site. Second, the authority of defendants to enter into and carry out the written lease agreement with the Masonic bodies for space for county offices until the new courthouse is ready for occupancy and to make certain expenditures in connection therewith.
In connection with the first of these questions plaintiff asks: Can defendants dispose of the present courthouse without “(1) Formal action by motion or resolution so to do? (2) Published public notice of the disposition of said building? (3) Submitting the disposition thereof to a vote of the electors and receiving their approval?” Answering these questions we point out that the resolution hereinbefore mentioned of July 23, 1943, contained the recital that the then board of county commissioners “is of the opinion that the present courthouse building is antiquated, inadequate, a fire hazard, and not susceptible of remodeling or reconditioning’ (our
In this connection counsel for plaintiff cite and rely heavily upon G. S. 1949, 19-211 pertaining to the sale of county property. Shortly stated, that section gives the county commissioners authority to sell county property when in their judgment it should be sold or disposed of and where the value is less than $500. If the value of the property is over $500 and less than $5,000 the sale must be by the unanimous vote of the county commissioners, and not then until published notice for at least twenty days is given; and if the value of the property is more than $5,000 the proposition to sell should be submitted to the voters at an election. Assuming this statute as it relates to the proposed action of defendants is applicable, we take note of the fact that the parties hereto have stipulated “The present courthouse building, if sold or disposed of on condition that the building be removed, has no value.” The necessity of razing the old courthouse in order to construct a new one was inherent in the resolution of July 23,1943, and of March 16,1946, if the building was to be constructed on the old site, which the electors did not give the county commissioners the right to sell when that question was submitted to them.
Money collected by taxes under the resolutions of July 23, 1943, and March 26, 1946, were invested by defendants as required by G. S. 1949, 19-1571. By October 16, 1952, this fund amounted to
The second principal question arises from the lease by the county commissioners of the Masonic building for county offices. Obviously the offices in the old courthouse could not be used while it was being razed, nor could those in the new one be used until the building was completed, or substantially so. It is the statutory duty of the county commissioners to furnish offices for the transaction of county business. (G. S. 1949, 19-104.) The county commissioners had authority to lease offices for the time necessary to raze the old courthouse and build a new one. (G. S. 1949, 19-212. Third.) Counsel for plaintiff specifically ask if the present county commissioners could make a lease for a term longer than the term of office of the present county commissioners. The answer is "yes.” (See, Edwards County Comm’rs v. Simmons, 159 Kan. 41, Syl. 6 and pp. 53 to 55, 151 P. 2d 960.)
Complaint is made of certain conditions of the lease. Those are matters to be determined by the board of county commissioners and not by this court. We are asked if they could pay the Masonic bodies out of the courthouse fund. A sufficient answer to that question is that they are not paying it out of that fund. They are paying it out of the county general fund, which we are advised is adequate. But counsel for plaintiff say an item for that expenditure was not budgeted. Perhaps so, but we do not understand that items of the general fund are required to be budgeted. [See, G. S. 1949, 79-2925 ( 2).]
Plaintiff complains that defendants did not submit to a vote the resolution of May 11, 1951, to which a number of written protests were filed. If we assume, without so deciding, that the reasons given by defendants for not submitting the resolution to a vote were insufficient, what can we do about it now? Defendants
In a supplemental reply plaintiff points out, presumably for the purpose of criticising, a number of items alleged to have been omitted from the contracts tentatively approved by defendants on October 16, 1952. It is not contended on behalf of plaintiff that the items alleged to have been omitted in this contract rendered it void, hence the allegations of them present no question for this court to review. It is the function of the board of county commissioners to determine the details of the construction of the new courthouse. It is not the function of this court.
We think it is clear from the record that defendants in acquiring the courthouse fund and in their acts relating to the building of the new courthouse are not in violation of any of the laws of our state; and, further, that throughout the work they have acted in good faith, since they are not charged with fraud or acting otherwise.
Judgment is entered for defendants.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- The State of Kansas, ex rel. Harold R. Fatzer, as Attorney General Thereof v. The Board of County Commissioners of the County of Lyon, State of Kansas: Ted Newcomer, as Commissioner of the First Commissioner District, E. H. Fowler, as Commissioner of the Second Commissioner District, and Walter Larkin, as Commissioner of the Third Commissioner District, all of and for Lyon County, Kansas
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published