HomeMy WebLinkAbout1911-04-13 (Special) Meeting MinutesI
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April 13, 1911
l O the City C'ouncil,
City o-f Eng l ew o o:.'.
Gc n -.le:::i en:
Io r esp on s e to y our request for a legal opinion r1-
g ar i n.; he a ut orit· o f the Boar l to or er pa.yr; mt or bill
t o t nt e r priae, f or publication of list ot City
nami n t ons o ,. r ch 2 , A.D. 1911, I beg l eaTe to wlmit the
f'ol ow ·. · op in on :
... h cainunication o f Clau B. Street to your hon-
o r~ l e body i . 'ndou btedly correct i n it1 stat ... nt or the
l w e fini ,.. legal pu lication1 and &11W1li ng the 1tat-.nt or
f ct con 'n e1 in sn.id cor.r.unio tion t o be true, the publl-
1on r eferred to would c l earl,y not be a l ec&l newspaper UD41r
the et t ute such
not1 a t terein .
would p e nait o r the pub lication ot el1otlon
I hav e not, howeve r, inY oti ted tlw1e tact• .. I
o th opiniln that t question or the obl t1 on ot ~
Ci t t o P9-Y tho bill oonL r t14 1a b I d up on l eg al oan4e
e tir l.y •xtran oue to t h QUHt.1on o the 1
lit y or th blio tion r cr rr to .
Seotion ee2e o r th e
I • o t Color
"First: To control the finances a.nd
property o f the corporation.
Second: To appropriate Doney for ·
corporate purposes only and provide for
pe.yr:i en t o f debts and exp enses of the cor-
poration.•
Un e r t h is statute the City Cou ncil und oub tedly is
authorize d to c ontract and pay ebt s f or the city and any cit-
izen i s ju .,tified in ent ering in ... o c ont ra.ct .vi t h t e City
Council an nay e nforc e t h e paym e .t o _ any ot lic a t ions r ising
under said c ontrac ts in the courts .
I :i t h b case there a p _ce a rs to h ve b e n n o . is r e-
presentation on · e pa rt o f th e r opri t or o f th ru li .at ion
a s t o the legalit y f' h is pap ei-and t h re fore the c l a.i. co uld
not b e success ul ly r e siste d on t h e c;r o". d s th .t the co ntr <t ct
wa.s ob tai ned by f.:!U d or misrepresen ta i on a...~d on no othe r
g rou nd i n my opi n .i. n coul t ''le c:ty !'!void l egal respo nsibility
f or the eb t.
As to t h e ri ht o the city to an a~t ion t o rec ov er
the amou nt paid ou i oy a s u i t or suits a l n ~t the e ~ er s of
the City Coun c il or t'1e Ci t:r C1 e r k • pe r s onall y, I d o no t u nrte P
stand th1 .t he ues t i on is ~it in th c o .e of the inqu i ry
address e d t o me by t he Boar •
For the abov e r aaona I am o f t h e op in ion that an
ac tion would li e and could be su cessf'u ll.y r o se ute d
the city by the owner or 0\7Tle r s o f t putl i c t ion f or
the m:iount and th t , t h erefore , th ill aho l a llowed.
-rnere-eoy ·or t ·ecit· ou l d e y,·rs o lsuit
n t the of f i i'.l.l.s r a on t l •. or contr he debt ,
ebt -c ontra.ct '11 l y an t Cit OU il
act d u ltr~ vir es in in -~i contract. Wh eth e r the ~ity
ou l a.int'\in .h n cti n 1 qu 3tion upo whi I '::o ld
not ha ~ r d 0 n on ex-e p "r fu l in e t ge.ti o of
th Cl.C t and t 1 0 10 unde r tnn th:i.t the 0 d
has requ st e d an opinion on t h i atter t th r sf"nt t .
Resp ct lly 'l:J!li~t e d .
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"First: To control the finances and
property o f the corporation.
Second: To appropriate money for ·
corporate purposes only and provide for
payr.i.ent of debts and expenses of the cor-
p oration."
Un d e r this statute the City Council un d oubt ed ly is
authorize d to c ontract and pay d ebts f or the city an d any cit-
izen i s ju ,,t if i e d in e nt ering in t o c o!1t ract with t h e City
Council an d nay en f orc e t e p a,yn ent o f any o liGatio ns ising
und e r said c ontr_cts in t he courts .
In t LiG cas e there a _a rs t o h :v e b e en n o r.i i s r e -
pre sentation on ' e a rt o f th pr opri t or o f the ru· lir.a ti on
a s to the leg li'.,y f h is paper and t h re ore the c l a.ir.1. could
not be suc cess u l y r e sist e d on t h e u ro ~ d s th ~' t he co t r ~c t
wa s ob tained by f;·:i..u d or misre resen t H on and. on no oi e r
g rou nd i n my opi n .!. n coul t '1e :'..t y vo id. leg al respo nsib ' lity
f or the ebt .
As to t h e r i ht o the city t o ao t ion t o r e c ov er
the a.m ou . pa.id ou ·. y suit or suit s i n ~t the e ~· e r s of
the Cit · Coun c il or ~'t e Ci t:r C1 e r k , e r s on e.l ly, I d o no ... u eP
stand th:i t he ues t i on · s wi t in t h c o o th nq u ry
addresse d t o me by the oar •
For t he abov e r a.eons I !U!l o f t h e o i nion t h an
action would l i and cou l d be su c cessfu lly OS d a ·nst
the city by the own er or o.-mers of t h.e ~i putli t ion or
the aoount an d t h at , t h ere fore , th i ll aho 1 b
Tne r e-e cit: ou l d
in t t e of f i i l a r sp on i l .. or
1 ~ai d ebt w ~ contr ct d ll gal l y an the Ci
met d ltr& v 1r
Uowed .
1 tit s
he 1.ebt ,
OU :'l l
April· 13, 1011
To the City Council,
City o f Englewood.
Gentlemen:
Re g arding the bill f or $25.00 ·presented by R.H.
Elaclanan ~or l egal se rvices concerning which your Honora le
Board r equ e sted a l e al opinion f rom me, I beg leave to sub-
~ i t the foll owing opinion:
There is no qu 'stion i n qy ~ind but that the City
Co n cil h ~5 auth ority t o call in legal assistanc e other than
that of t he City Attoni :y at any time within i t s di s cretion.
This has been f requentlJ done by the City Cou ncil of Englewood
in the past a nd by the ity Council of other cities in the
state and the au t h ority to do so has nner b 0 en euccesst\tlly
conteste d s o far as I 1.111 able to discoTer .
S e ~tion 5547 o ~ th e Re Tiaed Stat"tee of the State
of Colorado, ·n de fininc t h e duties of Ci ty Attorney in citie•
of he f irst c lass , exp r s sly prOTides f or the employment of
c ou n el to ass i s t the Ci t · At t orney and r find noth ·ne in the
statu te relat ing to cities of the eeoond olaae Which woui..
tend to sh o that such authority wu not lodaed 1n the Cl~
Cou ncil of citioa of the second clue under the general powen
g ranted them by Section 552& o f the ReTiHd Statutes Which 18
s et f orth in anot•er opinion rendered tOfti&tlt.
Accordi · to the nimtH of the CtV Clerk, the Clt7
no in attendance at the nee' or the CtlUDOil
at which th ~vic e of an attorney wu deeired and the o~
•ion one wheT an eme r geno7 ai•.... Un der theee cir'alm-
stanc a I o f the opi n ion th t e CNDd public '!>Ollcy •thor-
ze d h ca.l.li in o f 01 ei e l Tice n that mch
ction • ~e l l ~it in the l al po1rer or the Couaoil.
or Lh a b ove re onG I o r the opinion that the
b ill o · .• u.:a 1 cla:l.:>. e ou l d be "1.lowe d .
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