Capital City Oil Co. v. Day
Capital City Oil Co. v. Day
Opinion of the Court
The Pontehartrain levee district was created by Act 95, p. 99, of 1890. Its limits are fixed by this same act as follows:
“That all that part of the parish of East Baton Rouge, lying south of the city of Baton Rouge, and * * * shall constitute a levee district,” etc. Section 1.
By Act 1G9, p. 327, of 1898, the southern) boundary of the city was moved 1,000 feet further south. Thereby a part of plaintiff’s property was brought within the city limits; and the question is as to whether it has been taken out of the levee district, so as to be no longer subject to the district taxes.
It could have had that effect only if the intention of said act creating the district had been that no part of the city of Baton Rouge should ever be within the district, but that the upper, or north, limit of the district should conform automatically with any change that might take place in the lower, or south, limit of the city.
What is contended by plaintiff’s learned counsel is that the new city charter has had the effect of amending the said levee district act, in respect to this upper limit of the district, because the two acts would otherwise be inconsistent in that respect, and the charter is the later legislation.
There might be such inconsistency if the two acts together authorized taxation beyond the constitutional limitation. But they do not. Under the Constitution, the district may levy 10 mills for levee purposes, and the municipality 10 mills for municipal purposes. No more than this is authorized by the two. acts together. Very true, in the long list of powers conferred upon the city council is found the one “to provide for a levee and drainage system, and open such carials or natural drains,” etc. But this is-very far from meaning that levee taxes beyond the' regular city alimony may be imposed. .All it means is that out of its 10 mills’ alimony the city may do work of that kind. All the cities of the state situated within the levee districts are authorized to impose the like taxes, and the thought has never occurred to any one that there was any conflict between this and the authority of the levee district to impose the levee taxes.
The trial court rejected plaintiff’s demand.
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- CAPITAL CITY OIL CO. v. DAY, Sheriff
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- (Syllabus by Editorial Staff.) 1. Levees Where a levee district bordered on the limits of a city and where such limit was moved so as to include part of the levee district by the grant of a new charter to the city, such new charter did not have the effect of changing the boundaries of the levee district; the new city charter not amending the Levee District Act. 2. Taxation An essential feature in the creation of a taxing district is the fixing of its limits. 3. Levees &wkey;>7—City may be. included within levee district. There is nothing to- prevent a city being included within, a levee district in whole or in part. 4. Taxation Where, by a change in a city’s boundaries, part of a previously organized levee district was included therein, that both the city and the district were authorized to collect taxes did not constitute an unconstitutional double taxation, since neither the district nor the city could exceed their limitation of taxation. [Ed. Note—Eor other definitions, see Words and Phrases, First and Second Series, Double Taxation.]