People ex rel. Kings County Gas & Illuminating Co. v. Schieren

We have before us two appeals in proceedings entitled as above, both from orders directing that a peremptory mandamus issue to the .auditor of the city of Brooklyn, commanding him to audit the claims presented by the relator at specified sums, and directing the mayor and comptroller of said city to approve said claims and to draw and certify warrants for said sums upon the city treasurer.

The claims are for gas furnished by the relator to the town of New Utrecht pursuant to a contract made with the board of improvement of said town, and cover the two quarter years ending respectively June 30 and September 30,1894.

The town of New Utrecht was annexed to the city on July 1, 1894, and t’lie money raised by taxation to defray the expense of .supplying said town with gas for that year has been, pursuant to the provisions of said annexation act, paid over to the treasurer of said city and is now in his possession. (Chap. 451, Laws 1894.)

The contention of the appellants, that the relator should be left to pursue its remedy by action against the city, is clearly unsound. I think that no action at law could be maintained against the city upon the contract itself. The 4th section of the annexation act provides that “ the city of Brooklyn shall not be or become personally liable to pay any debt of the town of New Utrecht, or any part or body thereof, contracted- or incurred prior to the time this act shall take effect; nor shall any property within the limits of said city, as constituted’prior to the passage of this act, be taxed to pay any such debt, liability or obligation.” So far as the bills before the court are concerned, the money to pay them has been collected from the property of the town and paid over to and is now in the possession of the treasurer of the city. The bills must be paid from that fund, and it is held by the treasurer as a special trust. With reference to its disbursement the appellants had ministerial duties only to perform, and it is incumbent upon them to ascertain and inform themselves as to the terms of the coutract and to execute it with reasonable diligence. To the enforcement of such, duties the writ of mandamus is the proper remedy.

We are of the opinion, however, that the court erred in determining the amount at which the bills should be audited and paid.

It is a settled rule applicable to the remedy by mandamus that courts will not command an inferior tribunal or a ministerial officer to decide a question in a particular manner, when the duties which are required to be performed are in their nature judicial, and all acts which depend upon the decision of a question of law or the ascertainment and determination of a fact are considered judicial. In People ex rel. Francis v. Common Council of the City of Troy ( 78 N. Y. 33 ) the rule is stated as follows: “ The office of the writ of mandamus is in general to compel the performance of mere ministerial acts prescribed by law. It may also be addressed to subordinate judicial tribunals, to compel them to exercise their functions, but never to

In Howland v. Eldredge ( 43 N. Y. 451 ) a mandamus was issued directing the defendants, who were assessors of the town of Spring-port, to make and swear to their affidavit that a majority of the taxpayers of said town, owning more than one-half of the taxable property therein assessed and appearing on the assessment roll, had duly assented in writing to the issuing of town bonds in aid of the construction of a railroad. This order was reversed in the Court of Appeals, Judge Gboveb saying, in his opinion, that however clearly it was made to appear to the court that the requisite consents had actually been obtained, a mandamus would not be granted to compel the assessors to make such an affidavit; that the power was given to them to examine the evidence upon the question, and it was upon their conclusions that the power to bond the town depended, and not upon that of any other tribunal; that, consequently, they could be compelled to proceed and determine the matter, but could not be conq^elled to decide in any particular way.

To the same effect are numerous authorities (People ex rel. Phœnix v. Supervisors, 1 Hill, 362 ; People ex rel. Myers v. Barnes, 114 N. Y. 317 ; People ex rel. Johnson v. Supervisors, 45 id. 196; People ex rel. Gardenier v. Supervisors, 134 id. 1); and it is said by a learned text writer that there is not a case where the Court of

The respondent cites the case of The People ex rel. Ready v. The Mayor & Common Council of Syracuse ( 144 N. Y. 63 ) as sustaining: the orders in this respect. In that case, however, the contract provided that the engineer should make up his final account of the work and return it to the common council duly verified by him, whereupon, the common council should review, and, when satisfactory, approve the same. Such a certificate had been given by the engineer, and had never been impeached or attacked by the city, and the court held that it was binding and conclusive upon all parties, and could not, in an application for mandamus, be assailed by the ministerial officers of the city. It will be observed that in that case it does not appear that the officers proceeded against had any duties to perform which were in their nature judicial, and it was not sought to enforce the performance of any such against them.

Of course, it is not claimed that the rule under discussion has any application to a case where the amount due to the relator is fixed by law or by the operation pf any provision of the contract.

In the case before us, the power of the court is limited to compelling the appellants to carry out and execute the terms of the contract with the relator, so far as duties in reference thereto have devolved upon -them by the annexation act. In respect thereto they stand in the place of the board of improvement of the town, and, if it appears from the contract that that board was charged with the determination of any fact which it is essential to ascertain in order to determine the amount due to the relator for gas supplied to the town, then we may compel the appellants to exercise their functions, but we cannot require them to determine that a particular amount is due and unpaid.

The contract contains the following provisions, which are material upon the questions under discussion. The party of the second part (being the relator) agrees :

“ Sec. 6. To furnish a fixed or permanent illuminating gas of such quality and supplied at such pressure as to secure the consumption throughout the entire town of New ITtreeht of the amount and quality contracted for, and which shall have an illuminating power

of not less than twenty (20) candles when tested at the place of manufacture by the improved form of Benson photometer, using the most improved burner and standard candles.”

“7. To allow the party of the first part to ascertain at any time, by actual experiment', the rate of pressure, the size of burners, the .amount of gas supplied and the quality thereof, and any person authorized by the party of the first part shall be allowed to test the illuminating power of the gas at the works or office of the said party of the second part. * * * The party of the first part also reserves the right to test the quality, specific gravity and pressure of gas and size and capacity of the burners at any time and in any portion of the town, and the party of the second part hereby agrees to pay all expenses connected with or arising from such tests.”

“ 8. In case of default in either the amount or quality of the gas supplied, from whatsoever cause, a corresponding reduction shall be made in the quarterly bills rendered.”

“ 14. The number of lamps to be lighted as now estimated is five hundred, but the party of the first part reserves the right to increase the number of lamps to be lighted at any time, and the party of the second part hereby agrees to extend the mains as required from túne to time, and to receive, as full compensation for all gas furnished and services performed, an amount equal to the product of the number of lamps actually lighted multiplied by the price as stated in this contract for furnishing gas to each lamp.”

Section 16 is a timetable for lighting and extinguishing street lamps, varying for every fifteen days throughout the year.

“17. The party of the first part shall have power to employ inspectors, whose duties shall be to patrol the streets, avenues and highways, and report to the party of the first part the actual number of lamps lighted and the condition of lamps, posts, burners, glass and appurtenances, the actual number of and location of lamps unlighted and the reason therefor ; and the party of the first part is hereby authorized by the party of the second part to make pro rata deductions, when payments are made, for all unlighted lamps, and although the lamps may have been lighted, that shall not be considered any evidence that they continued to burn; and if, through the inspectors, lamps are reported unlighted during the hours fixed for lighting, deductions shall be made; it being the duty of the party

of the second part to keep all lamps in such condition that they will continue to burn.”

“ 24. Upon the full and satisfactory completion of the work to be done under this contract and specifications, the party of the first part agrees to pay or cause to be paid to the party of the second part the sum of twenty-eight (28) dollai’s per lamp per annum for each and every lamp lighted and maintained in the manner hereinbefore provided for.”

It will be observed that the reports of the inspectors, as to unlighted lamps, is made binding upon the relator, but is not conclusive upon the board of improvement. Also, that deductions for failure to comply with any of the provisions of the contract are to be made by the board of improvement, when payments are made, which times by the 25th provision of the contract were fixed for the tenth days of April, July, October and January. One needs only to read these provisions of the contract to see that the board of improvement was charged with the duty of determining the quality of gas furnished, and the number and condition of lamps,lighted and burning during the period covered by any bill of the relator. This duty involved the consideration of the evidence upon the subject and the determination of the fact, including the amount actually due to.the relator for the services rendered under the contract. This duty has, by the annexation act, been devolved upon the officers of the city, and is to be performed in accordance with the provisions of the city charter. The method prescribed by the charter for the payment of bills against the city is substantially as follows: All claims must be presented to the comptroller of the city, specifying the details thereof, who may require the claimant to appear before him and be examined on oath, submit to his inspection all books, papers and documents in reference thereto. (§ 30 of title 22 of cliap. 583 of the Laws of 1888, as amended by chap. 568, Laws 1894.) It is the duty of the auditor to examine all bills presented against the city for payment, and no claim can be paid until he shall certify that the services have been rendered, and that the charges are reasonable or according to contract. (Laws 1888, chap. 583, tit. 5, § 1.)

Money is drawn from the treasury upon warrants signed by the mayor and comptroller jointly, and upon vouchers examined and

"We agree with the respondent that but one presentation of a claim against the city is necessary, and when a bill has been presented to the comptroller, and is in his possession, it is the duty of the auditor to examine it. How and when he shall obtain possession of it is a matter to be regulated in the finance department and is no concern of the claimant. In neither of the cases before us is it denied that the claims in suit were presented to the comptroller more than thirty days before the proceedings were instituted, and the failure of the auditor and comptroller to act upon them entitled the relator to a mandamus. But the duties which appellants are required to perform in reference to the relator’s bills are clearly judicial in their character, and they cannot be directed to audit or certify the bills at a particular amount. They are entitled to exercise their own judgment upon the evidence before them, and to determine therefrom the number of lamps for which the relator is entitled to be paid for the periods covered by its bills and to make the proper deductions therefrom.

It is also apparent from the provisions of the charter referred to that the orders appealed from cannot be sustained against the mayor. The examination of the bills, and the determination of the amounts due thereon by the auditor and the comptroller, precedes any duty imposed upon the mayor. Until the voucher is allowed by the auditor and approved by the comptroller he is not required to act, and cannot be declared to be in default, and it must be assumed that when a proper voucher is presented to him, he will examine and certify to it, and sign the necessary warrant for its payment.

The claim of the relator, that the mayor and comptroller should have signed a warrant for the bill for the quarter ending June thirtieth, upon .the audit of the board of improvement of the town, cannot be sustained. That claim was overruled by Justice OulleN on the first application for a mandamus, and we agree with his conclusion that the bill not being due until July first, the board of improvement had no power to aqt upon it.

The orders appealed from, so far as they direct the mayor to draw and certify warrants upon the treasurer, are reversed, and in other respects are modified so as to direct the comptroller and auditor forth

In case No. 1, Dykman and Pratt, JJ., concurred.

In case No. 2, Dykman, J., concurred; Peatt, J., not sitting.

Orders reversed, so far as they direct the mayor to draw and certify warrants, and in other respects modified, so as to direct the comptroller and auditor forthwith to examine the relator’s claims, and the latter to certify to the services performed by the relator, and the value thereof under the contract, and as so modified affirmed, without costs.