Majority
Headnote
Eighway iate on lands of non-residents — supervisors cannot direct collection of— is not put on roll by assessors — “Tract,” — when sufficiently designated—Affidavit of assessors—position of, on roll—Majority of assessors may act—Presumption of regularity—Error in retwrn — when disregarded.The object of this action is to obtain a judgment, declaring void defendants’ title to real estate derived from a sale and conveyance made by the comptroller for non-payment of taxes, as a cloud on plaintiff’s title, and to compel defendants to release, etc.
The land is lot fifty-four, in township one, range three of the Holland Land Company’s lands (so called), situated in the town of Portville, Cattaraugus county, plaintiff’s title to which is traced through divers mesne conveyances from the Holland company, the first deed being dated in 1835. Defendants’ title rests upon a deed from the comptroller after a sale of the same lot for unpaid taxes, made in November, 1866, which deed was executed in December, 1868. Such conveyance by the comptroller, is made by statute[44] presumptive evidence that the sale and all proceedings prior thereto from and including the assessment of the land, and all notices required by law to be given previous to the expiration of the two years allowed to redeem, were regular according to the provisions of this act and all laws directing or requiring the same or in any manner relating thereto. The taxes in question were levied in 1856, 1858 and 1860, subsequent to the passage of the above act, and the defendants may therefore rest upon the legal presumption until it is overcome by proof to the contrary. The premises were assessed, returned and sold as the land of a non-resident, and the fact that it was non-resident land was admitted on the trial.
The taxes stand on all the rolls assessed on lot fifty-four, town one, range three; and for the year 1856, one is a highway tax for $3.30, and one a State and county tax for $3.44; for the year 1858 the tax is a State and county tax for $8.46, and for 1860 the tax is a State and county tax for $8.16.
It is objected to the highway tax (on the roll of 1856), that it is placed in the assessment roll bach of the supervisor’s warrant, and is not covered by such warrant; and that it is bach of the assessors’ affidavit and not verified by such affidavit; and that there is no indication of the tract in which the assessed lot is situated. The supervisor’s warrant cannot in any case refer to or command the collection of any tax whatever, levied on the land of non-residents. The warrant must conform to the statute, commanding the collector to collect from the several persons named in the assessment roll, the several sums mentioned in the last column of such roll, opposite to their respective names, etc.[44] It is true, any person owning non-resident taxed lands may pay such tax voluntarily to the collector. So may he pay the same to the county treasurer before the latter makes his return to the comptroller,[45] Such payments cannot, however, be enforced either by the county treasurer or the town collector, nor does the warrant command it. There is no statute that requires the warrant of the supervisors to be either bach or forward of the list of non-resident lands. The warrant is to be annealed to the assessment roll.[46] This objection is not tenable.
The next objection, that this highway tax is bach of the assessors’ affidavit verifying the roll and is not verified by such affidavit, must also fail, for the reason that highway taxes on lands of non-resi
Plaintiff’s next objection to this highway tax, is, that there is no indication of the tract in which the lot is situated. By the public statutes organizing and bounding the counties and towns of the State, it appears that the town of Portville, in Cattaraugus county, is a part of the territory known as the Holland Land Company’s lands, these lands being designated by name in the various boundaries. These statutes show the townships and ranges into which such lands are divided. To designate land in Portville as being in a township and range, is to designate and name a tract of land. of which the court and all persons take notice. These tracts, bounded by the exterior lines of intersecting .townships and ranges, are accurately ascertained, and are the only tracts subdivided into lots. The designation of the premises in question as lot fifty-four, town one, range three, on the assessment roll of the town of Portville, indicates the tract, and gives all necessary particu
Plaintiff’s next objection, relating to the assessment on the roll of 1856, for the State and county tax, is, that the assessment of the lot is bach of the assessors’ affidavit of verification, and is not cov
Plaintiff’s next objection is, that this affidavit is made by two assessors only, no reason appearing why the third assessor did not join. A majority of the assessors may act without the third, both in making and verifying the roll. This appears by the language of the statute. “ When the assessors, or a majority of them, shall have completed their roll, they shall severally make oath,” etc,[47]
The first class of objections being disposed of, the second is to be considered, consisting of objections arising out of the extrinsic evidence of witnesses. The plamtiff has given some testimony as to a search among the papers in the town clerk’s office, and the papers in charge of the clerk of the board of supervisors, with the view of showing that the list of non-resident lands, directed by the statute to be made by the commissioners of highways, and filed with the town clerk apportioning the highway labor, was 'not made and filed by them; and that the return to be made by the overseer of highways with his affidavit to the supervisor, and by the latter laid before the board of supervisors, was not made; also that notice was not given or posted by the overseer as the statute directs.
These transactions were more than seventeen years before the trial. After so many annual elections and changes of all these officers, including town clerks and clerks of boards of supervisors, the singularity would have been if these papers had been found. A paper, however, was discovered, filed in the town clerk’s office, May 6, 1856, containing a list of non-resident land assessed for highway labor, among which is this lot fifty-four, town one, range three, 150 acres, assessed to five and one-half days’ labor at $3.44. To this is attached a warrant of the commissioners of highways, directed to the overseer of the district number six. The warrant
It appears, therefore, that for the two taxes of 1856, the returns were for the proper amounts; but that the return for the year 1858, was for three cents too much, and for the year 1860, five cents too much. Some other provisions of the statutes, relating to the additions to the tax standing on the assessment roll, may here be considered. From the first day of August following the year in which a tax is laid, the tax remaining unpaid draws interest yearly at the rate of ten per cent.[48] The comptroller is to sell for tax, interest and charges.[49] The expenses for printing lists and transmitting, and for publishing notices of sale, are charged on the land and apportioned by the comptroller.[50] “ An equal part of such expenses shall be added to the taxes, interest and other charges, on each parcel of land out of which sales are made.”[43] All these are additions to the original tax. If the collector’s mistake of three or five cents, in his addition which
†† †† Blackwell, etc., 209.
D. H. Bolles, for the appellant.
No presumption exists in favor of the regularity of the proceedings of public officers except such as is created by statute. (Jackson v. Shepard, 7 Cow., 88 ; Bunner v. Eastman, 50 Barb., 639 ; Varick v. Tallman, 2 id., 113; Striker v. Kelly, 2 Den., 323 ; Beeknan v. Bingham, 5 N. Y.,
It follows that the defendants’ title must be held good, and the plaintiff’s title invalid; and the complaint is dismissed with costs.
Prom the. judgment entered at Special Term, an appeal was taken to this court.
* Page 147.
† † Bergen v. Boerum, 2 Caines, 258.
‡ ‡ Conger v. Tradesmans’ Bank, Hill & Denio, 85.
§ § People v. Covell, 18 Wend., 598 .
|| || 4 Hill, 613 .
¶ ¶ 9 Barb., 29 .'
** * 10 Mass., 115 .
A. Gr. Rice, for the respondent.
I have carefully examined the objections made by the appellant’s counsel to the regularity of the proceedings in assessing the plaintiff’s land, and in the sale and conveyance of the same for the taxes assessed on the same, and I am of the opinion that they were properly disposed of by the judge at Special Term.
For the reasons assigned by him in his opinion, I think the judgment should be affirmed with costs.
Judgment affirmed, with costs.
Footnotes
- * Laws of 1855, chapter 437, section 65.
- * 1 R. S., 396, § 37.
- † † Id., 397, §§ 1, 8, 9, 10, 13; id., 403, § 28, copied in § 7, chap. 427, Laws of 1855 ; 1R.S., 405, § 43, copied in § 22, same act of 1855.
- ‡ ‡ 1 R. S., 396, § 37.
- * 1R. S., 505, §§ 19,32; Trustees of Angelica v. Morse, 56 Barb., 380 .
- † † Laws of 1837, chap. 431, §8.
- ‡ ‡ 1R. S., 506, § 24.
- § § Id., § 25.
- || || Id., 511 , § 47.
- ¶ ¶ Id., § 49.
- ** * Id., § 50.
- * 1RS., 391, §§ 13, 13.
- † † Hill & Denio, 139.
- ‡ ‡ Dike v. Lewis, 3 Barb., 347 .
- § § Page 133, note, citing Patten v. Green, 13 Cal., 335 .
- * Laws of 1851, chap. 176, § 8.
- † † Bouvier Law Dic., word “roll.”
- ‡ ‡ Laws of 1851, chap. 176, § 8.
- § § Above, § 8.
- * 1R. S., 394, §80.
- † † 2 R. S., 555, §27.
- ‡ ‡ Doughty v. Hope, 3 Denio, 252 , 253.
- § § 46 N. Y., 383 .
- || || 30 Barb., 347 .
- ¶ ¶ 1R. S., 394, § 30.
- ** * 1R. S., 419, § 2.
- * 51N. Y., 610.
- * 1 R. S., §399, 10; id, 402, § 26.
- † † Laws 1850, chap. 298, §§ 4,114 ; Laws 1855, chap. 427, §§ 4, 92.
- ‡ ‡ Ely v. Holton, 15 N. Y., 598 , 599.
- § § Laws 1847, chap. 455, § 16.
- || || Laws 1855, chap. 427, § 26.
- ¶ ¶ Id., § 44.
- ** * Id., § 37.
- †† †† Id., § 86.
- * Fellows v, Denniston, 28 N. Y., 420 .
- † † 1 N. Y. Supreme C. R., Addenda, 22.
- ‡ ‡ Pp. 159, 16O.
- § § 1N. Y. Supreme C. R., 406.
- || || 35 How., 162 , 168, 169.
- ¶ ¶ Pp. 26,183.
- ** * 13 Ill., 251 .