City of Terrell v. Dessaint

Citations

• 71 Tex. 770
• 9 S.W. 593
• 1888 Tex. LEXIS 1224

Syllabus

<p>1. Constitution Construed.—Construing sections 5 and 7 of article 11 of the State Constitution, which prohibits the creation of a debt by a city unless provision be made at the time to assess and collect annually money to pay interest and create a sinking fund, apply to all cities alike without regard to the number of their inhabitants.</p> <p>2. Same.—Debts for the ordinary running expenses of a city, payable within a year out of the incoming revenues, do not come within the meaning of the constitutional inhibition above referred to; but a debt created for materials to improve municipal properties, which is to be paid with interest at one and two years after the debt is contracted, would be a debt within the meaning of sections 5 and 7 of article 11 of the Constitution.</p> <p>3. Same.—Any debt created by a city government which can not be discharged from the revenues of the current year, and which matures at a period which would make it a charge upon the city revenues for future years, is a debt within the meaning of sections 5 and 7 of article 11 of the Constitution.</p>