Finnegan v. Gronerud
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Finnegan v. Gronerud
Concurring Opinion
(concurring). From the fact that the board of county commissioners was given a period of nearly six months, by means of adjournments of the annual meeting in January, wherein to designate the newspaper in which to publish the delinquent list, and then, if the board had omitted so to do, it was provided that the designation should be made at a meeting held on the third Monday in June, — the very day on which the auditor is required to file the delinquent list with the clerk, and not many days before the publication will commence, if the officials attend to their duties, — I
Dissenting Opinion
I dissent. The only question in this case is whether the board of county commissioners of Kandiyohi county made a valid designation of the newspaper in which the delinquent list of taxes for the year 1873 should be published. It appears that the board assumed to adjourn their regular January meeting from time to time, the last adjournments being from March 19 to June 19 and from June 19 to June 20, on which last day they passed the resolution designating the newspaper in which the delinquent list should be published. As the law then stood, the only regular annual meetings fixed by statute were on the first Tuesday in January and on the fourth Monday in July. Laws 1874, c. 74, § 1 (G. S. 1878, c. 8, § 102). Under the tax law then in force (Laws 1874, c. 1) the delinquent list was to be filed on the third Monday in June (section 110). The clerk of the court was thereupon to make a copy of this list, and deliver it to the county auditor (section 111), who was required forthwith to publish it for three weeks in a newspaper. “The newspaper in which such publication shall be made shall be designated by resolution of the board of county commissioners of the county in which the taxes are levied, at their annual meeting in January, or at a meeting of said board to be held on the third Monday of June in each year; a copy of which resolution, certified by the county auditor, shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the court.” Section 112. In 1874 the third Monday in June fell on the 15th of the month. It is also to be observed that under the tax law of 1874, in case the board of county commissioners failed to designate the newspaper in which the delinquent list was to be published, no other body or officer was authorized to designate it;
The whole case turns upon the question whether the provisions of the statute as to the time within which the board of county commissioners was required to designate the newspaper are mandatory, or merely directory. The test usually applied, and the one applied by this court, is as follows: If the provision as to the time when an act is required to be done is inténded merely for the guidance of the conduct of officers in the conduct of public business, in order to secure order, system, and dispatch in proceedings, and by a disregard of it the rights of parties interested cannot be injuriously affected, it will be deemed merely directory, and not a limitation upon the exercise of the power of the officers, unless accompanied by negative words importing that the act required shall not be done at any other time than that designated. But where the requisitions prescribed are intended for the protection of the citizen and to prevent a sacrifice of his property, and by a disregard of them his rights might be injuriously affected, they will be deemed mandatory, and not directory. The power of the officer in all such cases is limited ■by the measure and conditions prescribed for its exercise. Kipp v. Dawson, 31 Minn. 373, 17 N. W. 961, and 18 N. W. 96; Cooley, Taxn. 280 (212) et seq. The justice of this rule is apparent, for “no one should be at liberty to plant himself upon the nonfeasances or misfeasances of officers, under the revenue laws, which in no way -concern himself and make them an excuse for a failure on his part to perform his own duty.” The particular language of the statute, as to whether it uses the word “shall” or “may,” is not at all controlling.
Judged by the test suggested, I am clearly of opinion that the provision of the statute as to the time when the newspaper shall be designated is, within certain limits, merely directory, and not mandatory, or a limitation on the power of the county board to make a designation. The main purpose of the provision is to insure the ■designation of the newspaper in time to secure the publication of
There is nothing in the language of the statute equivalent to negative words importing that the designation shall not be made after June 15. It can readily be seen why the legislature directed that the designation of the newspaper should be made at a special meeting on that date, if not made before. That was the day on which the delinquent list was to be filed, and the statute contemplated its publication soon afterwards. As there was no annual meeting after the January meeting until the latter part of July, therefore, if the January meeting terminated without action on the part of the county board, a special meeting would be necessary, and if the meeting was not held by June 15 the publication of the delinquent list might be delayed. The direction for a special meeting on June 15 was intended to guard against this, and thus secure dispatch in the prosecution of the proceedings to enforce the payment of delinquent taxes, and not, in my opinion, to prohibit the designation of a paper after that date. There is no reason why the legislature should do so, and there is nothing in their language which requires us to hold that they intended to. Inasmuch as all the county commissioners were present and acted, it is wholly immaterial whether the meet-
On motion for reargument the following opinion was filed December 23, 1895:
It is ordered that the application for a reargument of this cause be, and it is hereby, denied, and stay vacated. Ordered further, that tihe previous direction of the court in this case, that judgment be entered for the plaintiff, be modified so as to read as follows: “Judgment reversed, and a new trial granted.”
G. S. 1894 § 1581.
Opinion of the Court
Each party claims title to a quarter section of land in Kandiyohi county, and it is conceded that the plaintiff has a title derived from the United States government, while the defendants’ claim rests upon an alleged tax title, and its validity turns upon the sufficiency of the designation of a newspaper by the board of county commissioners of the above-named county, pursuant to the requirements of Laws 1874, c. 1, § 112.
This section requires that the county auditor shall cause a notice of the list of taxes on real estate remaining delinquent on the first day of June to be published once in each of three consecutive weeks in some newspaper of general circulation published at the county seat, and “the newspaper in which such publication shall be made shall be designated by resolution of the board of county commissioners of the county in which the taxes are levied, at their annuál meeting in January, or at a meeting of said board to be held on the third Monday of June in each year; a copy of which resolution, certified by the county auditor, shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the court.”
While the board of county commissioners of Kandiyohi county were in session at their annual meeting in the month of January, 1874, they did not during that month designate the newspaper in which the delinquent list should be published, nor did they'hold any meeting or so designate it on the third Monday of June following. The board commenced its annual session January 6, 1874, held five sessions, adjourning from day to day, then adjourned to March 18, then to March 19, then to June 19, and then to June 20, 1874, when they passed a resolution designating a newspaper in which the delinquent tax list should be published. The third Monday of June of that year was the 15th day of that month.
It is a primary duty resting upon each citizen to pay his taxes promptly, for the purpose of carrying on the governmental machinery.
Now, let us consider the facts in the case before us, and see whether the proceedings of the board of county commissioners were regular, and in compliance with the requirements of the tax law of 1874. We do not challenge the right of the board to adjourn in many cases from day to day, or for a longer time, and at such adjourned meeting transact its general business, nor do we contend that the board may not in many instances transact certain kinds of business at a meeting which is not a regular or a special meeting, but simply one held without notice, where all of the members are present and
The law of 1874 in regard to the time and manner of designating the publication of the list of delinquent taxes has been amended in some respects. If the board of county commissioners now fail to designate the newspaper in which such delinquent list shall be published at their annual meeting in January, then it shall be designated by the county auditor; thus limiting the power of the board to thus designate the newspaper, unless it is done at the time specified, and conferring this power, in case of such failure, upon another official, viz. the county auditor.
The judgment of the trial court is therefore reversed, and the plaintiff adjudged to have title to the premises in the complaint described.
At page 511.
But see supplemental opinion, infra, page 61.
Reference
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- ANDREW J. FINNEGAN v. HANS GRONERUD and Another
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