Title: Cosgrove v. The City of West Memphis

State: arkansas

Issuer: Arkansas Supreme Court

Document:

Bob COSGROVE v. The CITY OF WEST MEMPHIS,
Arkansas; Keith Ingram, Mayor; and the West
Memphis Public Utilities Commission

96-286                                             ___ S.W.2d ___

                    Supreme Court of Arkansas
               Opinion delivered February 17, 1997


1.   Municipal corporations -- extent and exercise of powers. -- Cities have
     no inherent powers and can exercise only (1) those expressly
     given them by the state through the constitution or by
     legislative grant, (2) those necessarily implied for the
     purposes of, or incident to, these express powers, and (3)
     those indispensable, and not merely convenient, to their
     objects and purposes; any substantial doubt about the
     existence of a power in a municipal corporation must be
     resolved against it.

2.   Municipal corporations -- city need not create operating commission in
     accordance with legislative requirements so long as commission remains
     agency of city. -- Under Adams v. Bryant, 236 Ark. 859,