Howe v. Barto
Howe v. Barto
Opinion of the Court
'The opinion of the court was delivered by
But a single question is involved in this appeal, and that is as to whether or not the courts must give force to certain sections (art. 9, §§ 85, 36), in the freeholders’ charter' of the city of Seattle relating to tax deeds. Such sections are a part of the article relating to the assessment and collection of taxes and provide that deeds executed by the proper officer upon sale of land for taxes assessed as provided in said article shall, prima facie, establish the fact, that the proceedings provided for in said article and recited in the deed have been taken as provided for in ■the charter.
It is claimed by the respondents that these sections
If the city has the power to provide for the conveyance of the property, we can see no reason why it is not competent for it to provide, within proper constitutional limitations, what shall be the effect of the conveyance. The deed is executed for the purpose of conveying to the purchaser the property described therein. If the charter could provide that it should have such force, there seems tobe no good reason why it. could not provide that it should have such further force as to prove itself. To do so would no more interfere with the course of proceeding in a state court., than would the provision providing for a tax levy and for a sale thereunder. The city was clothed with the power to provide for the levy of taxes and for the enforcement of their collection, and as a part of such power it might properly provide that if the taxes were not paid the property should be conveyed in satisfac
The judgment must be reversed and the cause remanded for a new trial.
Anders, Scott, Gordon and Dunbar, JJ., concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- J. L. Howe v. Ella Barto
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- POWERS OF CITIES OF FIRST CLASS — TAX DEEDS AS EVIDENCE. Under the constitutional and statutory provisions giving a city of the first class the power to frame a charter for itself and provide therein for the assessment and collection of taxes, such city is •authorized to include in its charter the means of enforcing the collection of taxes by sale and conveyance of the property, and to provide that such tax deeds should be prima facie evidence of the regularity of the prior proceedings and of the recitals in the deed. It being within the power of a city of the first class to provide in its charter for the force to be given its tax deeds as prima facie evidence of their recitals, it is the duty of the state courts to recognize and give force to such provisions.