Baker v. Meacham
Baker v. Meacham
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
In May, 1894, the city of Seattle passed an ordinance providing for the improvement of streets and the construction of sewers at the expense of the property benefited, and for the issuance of bonds therefor, payable in installments, pursuant to an act of the legislature (Laws
Thereafter another special assessment was levied for the pm*pose of paying the second annual installment and interest, represented by coupons number two, of which was collected a sum sufficient to pay 30 per cent, thereof. But the plaintiff demanded that such moneys should be applied upon the balance remaining due upon his coupons number one in their due proportion and that the same must be paid in full before any of the proceeds of the second assessment could be paid on coupons number two.
The court held that he was not entitled to any part of the second assessment, and he has appealed. The only question presented is whether the holders of coupons number
The appellant contends that the provisions of the act of the legislature aforesaid (Bal. Code, § 1185), directing that—
“ "Where district bonds are issued under this act for improvements, the cost of which is by law charged by special assessment against specific property, the mayor and council, or other authorized officer, board or body, shall levy special assessments each year sufficient to redeem the installments of such bonds next thereafter maturing”
do not control or in any way direct the city, treasurer to pay the funds arising from each assessment upon the coupons falling due, next thereafter, as against coupons of the same series which matured prior thereto, and contends that the holding of this court in Eidemiller v. Tacoma, 14 Wash. 376 (44 Pac. 877), requires the prior coupons to be paid in full, before any subsequent ones can be paid in whole, or in part. But we do not think that this decision applies to this case, as it related to the payment of warrants drawn on the general fund which, if exhausted, could be replenished by subsequent tax levies. It will be observed that the act provides for the levy of an assessment each year sufficient to redeem the installment next thereafter maturing. This clearly indicates the intention, that the amounts collected, by virtue of said assessments respectively, shall be applied upon the installments for which they were levied, otherwise, if the holders of prior coupons are entitled to be first paid in full, regardless of the year the assessment was levied in, the holders of the last coupons might receive nothing, in case the value of some of the property was less than the amount charged against it so that the assessments could not be collected.
Affirmed.
Anders, Dunbar, Gordon and Reavis, JJ., concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- F. W. Baker v. George F. Meacham, as Treasurer of the City of Seattle
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- MUNICIPAL BONDS — PAYMENT IN INSTALLMENTS BY SPECIAL ASSESSMENT ' —APPLICATION OP ASSESSMENTS.' Under Laws 1893, p. 231 (Bal. Code, §§ 1185-1189), providing for the issuance of bonds payable in ten annual installments, to cover the expense of street improvements and sewer construction, and providing for the annual levy and collection of special assessments upon the property benefited “ to redeem the installments of such bonds next thereafter maturing,” moneys arising from an assessment to pay any installment coming due cannot be applied to the payment of bonds which have matured prior thereto and which remain partly unpaid by reason of failure to fully collect the assessments levied to meet them.