Case Name: WILSON v. BLELOCH et al.
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1908-03-11
Citations: 109 N.Y.S. 340
Docket Number: 
Parties: WILSON v. BLELOCH et al.
Judges: 
Reporter: West's New York Supplement
Volume: 109
Pages: 340–344

Head Matter:
WILSON v. BLELOCH et al.
(Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department.
March 11, 1908.)
1. Towns—Officers—Compensation—Town Clerk.
Town. Law, Laws 1890, p. 1236, c. 569, § 178, as amended by Laws 1904, p. 836, c. 312, fixes the compensation oí a town clerk at $2 a day for each day devoted to the service of the town. Section 160 (page 1233) makes the town clerk a member of the town board. Laws 1893, p. 685, e. 344, § 3, provides that the town clerk of a town having a population of 20,000 or more shall receive the same compensation for attending the meetings of town boards as each other member of such board, in addition to the compensation to which he is entitled for the performance,of all other duties of his office. Held, that Laws 1893, p. 685, c. 344, § 3, does not make it the duty of the town clerk, of a town having a population of 20,000 or more, to meet with the other boards of the town than the town board, viz., the board of assessors, of auditors and of highway commissioners, but only provides an additional compensation for the existing duty to attend meetings of the town board, and hence does not entitle him to charge the town for each of such other meetings.
2. Same—Supervisors.
A supervisor can charge nothing except the per diem compensation fixed by Town Law, Laws 1890, p. 1236, c. 569, § 178, as amended by Laws 1904, p. 836, c. 312, for each day devoted to the service of the town, and is not entitled to an additional compensation, for the same days, for attending meetings of the boards of the town of which he is a member, or which he is required to attend as supervisor.
3. Same—Assessors.
Assessors can charge nothing except the per diem compensation which may be allowed them by Town Law, Laws 1890, p. 1236, c. 569, § 178, as amended by Laws 1904 p. 836, c. 312, for each day devoted to the service of the town, and are not entitled to an additional compensation, for the same days, for the making up of a list of jurors in conjunction with the supervisor and town clerk, as required by Code Civ. Proc. § 1035.
Woodward and Hooker, JJ., dissenting.
Taxpayer’s action by Edward C. Wilson against William A. Bleloch and others, as the board of town auditors, etc., and others, under Laws 1892, p. 620, c. 301. Controversy submitted, and judgment for plaintiff.
Argued before WOODWARD, JENKS, HOOKER, GAYNOR, and RICH, JJ.
Thomas A. E. Wilson, for plaintiff.
Nathan P. Bushnell, for defendants.

Opinion:
GAYNOR, J.
1. Section 178 of the Town Law (chapter 569, p. 1236, of the Laws of 1890, as amended by chapter 312, p. 836, of the Laws of 1904) fixes the compensation of town clerks, supervisors, assessors, justices of the peace, overseers of the poor and election officers at $2 a day "for each day actually and necessarily devoted by them to the service of the town and the duties of their respective offices, when no fee is allowed by law for the service"; except that assessors may be given a compensation of $3 a day by the town board, and that has been done in this case. By section 160 the town clerk is made a member of the town board. It is composed of the supervisor, town clerk and justices of the peace, and there is no other board of that official or statute name. Section 3 of chapter 344, p. 685, of the Laws of 1893, provides that the town clerk of a town of a population of 20,-000 or more (which is the case of this town) "shall be entitled to receive the same compensation for attending all meetings of town boards in his town as each other member of such board, in addition to all compensation, salary and fees to which he is now entitled by law for the performance of all other duties of said office." This does not create any new duties; it only provides an additional compensation for an existing duty, i. e., for attending meetings of the town board, of which he is a member. Theretofore such attendance was in the same class with all of his duties, and for which a compensation of $2 a day was allowed him; thereafter it was singled out by the said act and he was allowed to receive for it $3 in addition to his general compensation. Matter of Town of Hempstead, 36 App. Div. 321, 55 N. Y. Supp. 345. In the case before us the town clerk has construed the said act to make it his duty to meet with the other boards of the town, viz., the board of assessors, the board of auditors and the board of highway commissioners, and to charge the town $3 for each of such meetings, and his bill to that effect has been audited and paid. This is error and the money must be refunded. It is true that the said act of 1893 says "town boards," but the plural was used negligently. There is only one town board in a town. The other boards are boards of the town, it is true, but he could not act with such boards without being a member of them, and the act does not make him such. Nor does it impose on him the duty of keeping their minutes. They do that themselves, and the act makes no change in that respect.
2. As we have already seen, the compensation of supervisors chargeable against the town is $2 for each day actually and necessarily spent in the service of the town, "in the duties of their respective offices." The supervisor has charged this compensation, and also, and for the same days, $2 a day for attending meetings of the boards of the town of which he is by law a member, or which he is required to attend as supervisor. This is illegal. He can charge nothing in addition to the per diem compensation of $2 to which the law restricts him. There is no statute permitting him to charge an additional compensation for attending meetings of boards or officials, as is the case with town clerks, as we have seen. The additional .compensation of $2 a day audited and paid for attending such meetings must therefore be refunded.
3. The case of the assessors is the same; they are limited to a general compensation of $3 a day, and there is no statute giving them additional compensation. In this case they have charged $3 a day additional for the days spent in making up a list of trial jurors in conjunction with the supervisor and town clerk, as required by section 1035 of the Code of Civil Procedure, having also charged and been allowed and paid their regular compensation of $3 a day for the same days. This is illegal, and the amount so received must be refunded.
Judgment for the plaintiff, to be settled before GAYNOR, J.
JENKS and RICH, J.J., concur. WOODWARD, J., reads for defendants, with whom HOOKER, J., concurs. Form of judgment to be settled before GAYNOR, J.