Meade County v. Hoehn
Meade County v. Hoehn
Opinion of the Court
This is an appeal from a judgment rendered by the circuit court of Meade county in May, 1898, reversing an order of the board of equalization of Meade county, made in 1897. The case was tried by the court without a jury, and it found the fads therein. The only facts material in the consideration of this case are that the defendant Howard was in 1897, and for many years prior thereto had been, a resident of said Meade county, and on the first day of April, 1897, was the owner of a herd of cattle of the value of about $40,000, ranging on the government lands east of the Cheyenne and Belle Fourche rivers, principally in the unorganized counties of Nowlin and Sterling; that the appellant w as assessed in Meade county for the year 1897 on his said live stock so ranging in said unorganized counties; that said stock was assessed by the assessor of Stanley county for the year 1897, and the taxes assessed thereon paid by said appellant, prior to the proceedings had before the board of county commissioners. The court concluded as matter of law that all of the said property should be listed and assessed to the said owner, C. K. Howard, in Meade county; that being his place of residence. It is contended by counsel for the appellant that the judgment is not sustained by the findings of fact, for the reason that the live stock sought to be assessed ranged in Sterling and Nowlin counties, which were attached to Stanley county for judicial and revenue purposes, and not in Meade county; and for the
The only question remaining to be determined in this case is, did the facts that the unorganized counties of Nowlin and Sterling were attached to Stanley county for judicial and' revenue purposes, and that the authorities of Stanley county were authorized to assess property in the unorganized counties so attached, and that the property was in fact assessed by the assessor of Stanley county, and the taxes thereon paid to said county, relieve the defendant, as a resident of said Meade county, from his liability to assessment upon his said property in that county? By Chapter 50, Laws 1893, the unorganized counties of Pyatt, Sterling, Nowlin, and 'Jackson were made a part of and included in the Sixth judicial circuit of South Dakota, and by section 3 of that act the county commissioners of the county of Stanley were authorized and empowered to
Appellant further contends that Chap. 26, Laws 1895, which provides that all live stock may be assessed at any time in the county in which they are found roaming during the months of July, August, September, October, and November of each year, providing that said live stock has not already been assessed in another organized county the same year, gave to the assessor of Stanley county the right to assess the live stock of the appellant ranging in the unorganized counties of Nowlin and Sterling, attached to the said Stanley cuunty for judicial and revenue purposes. But we take the view that this statute applies only to organized counties. This is made clear by Section 2 of the act, which provides that, “in case the assessor fails or neglects to assess such live stock, then the county treasurer * * * shall at once proceed” to assess the same. The treasurer here mentioned clearly refers to the treasurer of the organized county in which the live stock is found ranging. We are of the opinion, therefore, that the
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- 1. Under Laws 1893, e. 50, attaching the unorganized counties of Sterling and Nowlin to Stanley county for judicial purposes, and authorizing the commissioners of such county to levy and collect taxes within such unorganized counties for all “state and judicial” purposes, and Laws 1897, c. 28, § 8, requiring all personal property to he listed and assessed in the county where the owner resides, a resident of Meade county, owning cattle ranging in such unorganized counties; is liable to an assessment thereon in the county oí his residence, though the cattle had been assessed and the assessment collected by the assessor of Stanley county; 1he act of 1893 referring only to residents of those counties. 2. Laws 1895, c. 26 providing that live stock may be assessed at any lime in the county in which they are found ranging during certian months, providing they have not already been assessed in another organized comity, applies only to organized comities, and hence the as-essor of a county to which unorganized counties are attached has no authority to assess cattle roaming in such unorganized counties.