Court Opinion

ID: 9717597
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 07:06:52.723421+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:54.113364
License: Public Domain

PEDERSON, Justice,
concurring Specially-
Considering the issues that have been briefed and argued, I concur in the opinion authored by Chief Justice Erickstad but, when the Legislature enacts inconsistent statutes, the last to be adopted or enacted ought to prevail. See §§ 1-02-09 and 1-02-09.1, NDCC. It appears to me the townships’ authority to expend up to one-half of township road taxes on county or state highways (§ 24-06-19, NDCC, last adopted in 1955) prevails over the counties’ “sole” responsibility to maintain county roads (§ 24-05-17, NDCC, last adopted in 1943).
It is quite obvious that neither the citizens and taxpayers of Wells County nor of townships in Wells County are enriched (justly or unjustly) in this case. Public officials should not use highway funds for legal battles instead of road repair.