Griffin v. Little Red River Levee District

Humphreys, J. This suit was instituted in the White Chancery Court by .appellants, who are taxpayers in “Little Red River Levee District Number Two,” and in “Judsonia Drainage District,” against the directors of said levee district and the commissioners of said’ drainage district, to enjoin them from raising the rates of taxation above the rate originally specified in resolutions adopted by the boards of the respective districts, and referred to in the face of the bonds issued by said boards for the construction of improvements in each district. Each district was organized under the general laws authorizing the creation of levee and drainage districts. The board of directors of the levee district issued three installments of bonds, totaling $145,000, and the board of commissioners of the drainage district issued two installments of bonds, totaling $120,000. Reference was made in the face of the bonds to resolutions adopted by each board prior to the issue thereof, in which rates, or per centum, of the assessed benefits to be collected annually for the purpose of paying the bonds were fixed. The resolutions provided a rate in the levee district not to exceed 4.3 per centum of the assessed benefits annually from 1920 to 1935, and 2.2 per centum annually from 1936 to 1941, and a rate in the drainage district not to exceed 3.3 per centum of the assessed benefits annually from 1920 to 1923, and 3.6 per centum from 1924 to 1936, inclusive. The Mercantile Trust Company of St. Louis, Missouri, was named as trustee in the bonds, and deeds of trust were executed to it pledging the entire assessment of benefits against the lands in the respective districts to the payment of the respective obligations. Thereafter the bonds were placed upon the market and sold by the trustee to various purchasers. In 1920 the board of directors of the levee district raised the rate from 4.3 to 4.8 per centum, and in 1921 from 4.3 to 5'per centum. In 1920 and 1921 the board of commissioners of the drainage district raised the rate from •3.3 to 4.1 per centum. This acceleration in rates became necessary in order to meet the payments due upon the bonds, as the revenues derived from the original levies provided in the resolutions were insufficient to do so. The increased rates were within the total assessed’ benefits to the lands embraced in the respective districts. The facts thus detailed are a summary of the allegations contained in the bill of appellants. To this bill separate demurrers were filed by the directors of the levee district and Mercantile Trust Company,.as trustee for the bondholders, and W. S. Holt, receiver for said drainage district under appointment of the United States District Court for tlie Eastern District of Arkansas, who was made a party defendant on motion. The demurrers to the complaint were sustained by the trial court, over the objection and exception of appellants, who refused to plead further. Thereupon the court dismissed appellants ’ bill for want of equity, from which is this appeal. The contention of appellants is that the rates, or per centum, of the assessed benefits to be collected annually, as fixed by resolutions of the respective boards, were not subject to increase. The reason assigned for the contention is that the resolutions fixing the rates of levy for the years during the period for which the bonds were to run became a part of the bonds by reference, and should be read in connection with the bonds as one instrument, and that the persons purchasing the bonds were chargeable with notice of the contents of the resolutions and were bound by them. The bonds were issued and the resolutions adopted under the laws of the State of Arkansas authorizing them. They must necessarily conform to the laws, and the laws authorizing . them must be read into them as a part thereof. The general law authorizing the creation of levee districts and the issuance of bonds to pay for the improvements therein confers full power on the board of directors of the levee district “to levy a tax upon the betterment estimated to accrue to said lands by reason of said work, sufficient to pay the cost thereof, which said tax mav be paid as a whole or in such annual installments as the board of directors may decide.” Section 6826, Crawford & Moses’ Digest. The only limitation prescribed in the section aforesaid is to bring the levy within the estimated betterment to accrue to the lands within the district. The general law authorizing the creation of drainage districts, and the issuance of bonds to pay for the construction of improvements therein, contains the following provision incorporated in Crawford & Moses’ Digest 'as section 3620: “If the tax first levied shall prove insufficient to complete the improvement, or to pay the bonds, both the principal and interest, issued by the board of commissioners on account of such improvement, as hereinafter provided, as the same shall become due and payable, the board shall, from time to time, report the amount of deficiency to the county court, and the county court shall thereupon make such levy or levies on the property previously assessed for a sum or sums sufficient to complete the improvement and to pay such bonds and interest, which shall be collected in the same manner as the first levy; provided, that the total levy or levies shall in no case exceed the value of the benefits assessed on such property; and the performance of such duties may be enforced by mandamus at the instance of any person or board interested.” When the laws authorizing the issuance of the bonds and adoption of the resolutions are read into the bonds, the rates fixed in the resolutions must be regarded and construed as tentative levies only, subject to increase, if necessary to meet payments due upon bonds, provided that the increased levies come within the total assessed benefits against each tract of land within the district. If the rates, or levies, fixed in the resolutions should be treated other than estimates, then the resolutions would conflict with the power vested in the boards under sections 3620 and 6826 of Crawford & Moses’ Digest, authorizing the board of directors of the levee district, and thé county court, at the request of the board of commissioners of the drainage district, to increase the rates originally levied. The decree is affirmed. Mr. Justice Hart dissented.