[Download] "Northern Gas Co. v. Town of Sinclair" by Supreme Court of Wyoming * Book PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Northern Gas Co. v. Town of Sinclair
- Author : Supreme Court of Wyoming
- Release Date : January 02, 1979
- Genre: Law,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 65 KB
Description
Northern Gas Company asks this court to exclude from the computation of a franchise fee payable to the Town of Sinclair sales of natural gas made to an oil refinery. Northern Gas Company claims there is an ambiguity in the ordinance granting the franchise which is developed from evidence relating to circumstances preceding the granting of the franchise. The district court held that the ordinance granting the franchise should be viewed as a taxing ordinance and that its terms were clear, unambiguous, and should be enforced. In so ruling it held that evidence of the surrounding circumstances preceding the ordinance was not material. Both parties to this appeal agree that the case should be disposed of under principles of contract law even though the district court treated the case as one involving a taxing ordinance. We will affirm the judgment of the district court awarding to the Town of Sinclair the one percent franchise fee on the sales of natural gas to the oil refinery, but we will do that on the basis of principles of contract law rather than rules relating to taxes. We will - Page 1140 hold that evidence of surrounding circumstances cannot be relied upon to structure an ambiguity in otherwise clear language in order to invoke rules applicable to the construction of contracts.