American Housing Foundation v. Brazos County Appraisal District

166 S.W.3d 885, 2005 WL 1483747
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 19, 2005
Docket10-04-00149-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by37 cases

This text of 166 S.W.3d 885 (American Housing Foundation v. Brazos County Appraisal District) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Housing Foundation v. Brazos County Appraisal District, 166 S.W.3d 885, 2005 WL 1483747 (Tex. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

OPINION

BILL VANCE, Justice.

Appellants, American Housing Foundation (“AHF”) and College Station Texas Southgate Village, Ltd. (“Southgate Village, Ltd.”) appeal from the trial court’s summary judgment in favor of Appellee, the Brazos County Appraisal District (“Appraisal District”). AHF and South-gate Village, Ltd. appeal in two issues:

(1) Does Texas Tax Code section 11.182(e) allow an entity that is not the record owner of the property in question to claim the tax exemption created by that statute?
(2) Does Texas Tax Code section 11.182(e) allow an exemption for structures built prior to December 31, 2001?

We decline to answer the first question because the answer to the second is “no”; thus we will affirm the summary judgment.

BACKGROUND

AHF is a non-profit Texas corporation and a Community Housing Development Organization (“CHDO”) that provides acceptable housing to low and moderate income individuals. Southgate Village Apartments, originally constructed well *887 before 2001, are low to very-low income housing apartments in Brazos County. Southgate Village, Ltd., a Texas limited partnership and for-profit organization, owns the apartments. AHF Southgate Village, Inc. (“AHF Southgate”), a Texas corporation, is the sole general partner of Southgate Village, Ltd. AHF Southgate is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AHF.

AHF applied for a year 2002 property tax exemption for the apartments under Texas Tax Code section 11.182. Tex. Tax Code Ann. § 11.182 (Vernon Supp.2004-05). The Brazos County Chief Appraiser determined that (1) AHF was not the legal owner of the property as required by section 11.182(b) because deeded ownership appeared to be vested in Southgate Village, Ltd.; (2) Section 11.182(e) applied only to property constructed after December 31, 2001; and (3) AHF allegedly failed to supply the appropriate audit to the Appraisal District. AHF protested the denial of the tax exemption, and the Appraisal Review Board denied AHF’s appeal. In 2003, AHF applied for a year 2003 property tax exemption. The Appraiser determined that (1) AHF was not the legal owner of the property as required by section 11.182(b) because deeded ownership appeared to be vested in Southgate Village, Ltd.; and (2) Section 11.182(e) applied only to property constructed after December 31, 2001. AHF protested the denial of the tax exemption, and the Appraisal Review Board denied AHF’s appeal.

In 2002, AHF and Southgate Village, Ltd. sued the Appraisal District seeking review of the 2002 tax exemption denial. The petition was later amended to include the denial of the 2003 tax exemption. The Appraisal District filed a motion for summary judgment, and AHF and Southgate Village, Ltd. filed a competing motion for summary judgment. The trial court granted the Appraisal District’s motion and denied AHF’s and Southgate Village, Ltd.’s motion.

SUMMARY JUDGMENT

Standard of Review

We review the decision to grant or deny a summary-judgment motion de novo. See Rucker v. Bank One Texas, N.A, 36 S.W.3d 649, 653 (Tex.App.-Waco 2000, pet. denied). The standards for reviewing a traditional motion for summary judgment are well established. Nixon v. Mr. Property Mgmt. Co., 690 S.W.2d 546, 548 (Tex.1985). The movant has the burden of showing that no genuine issue of material fact exists and that he is entitled to the summary judgment as a matter of law. American Tobacco Co. v. Grinnell, 951 S.W.2d 420, 425 (Tex.1997); Ash v. Hack Branch Distributing Co., 54 S.W.3d 401, 413 (Tex. App.-Waco 2001, pet. denied).

When competing motions for summary judgment are filed and one is granted and one denied, the appellate court should determine all questions presented and should render the judgment the trial court should have rendered. FM Properties Operating v. City of Austin, 22 S.W.3d 868, 872 (Tex.2000); Jones v. Strauss, 745 S.W.2d 898, 900 (Tex.1988). But this is so only if, as here, both parties’ motions sought final judgment, ie., relief on all issues. Montgomery v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield, 923 S.W.2d 147,152 (Tex.App.-Austin 1996, writ denied); Runyan v. Mullins, 864 S.W.2d 785, 790 (Tex.App.-Fort Worth 1993, writ denied).

Rules of Statutory Construction

The propriety of this summary judgment turns on the construction of section 11.182 of the Tax Code. Tex. Tax Code Ann. § 11.182. Statutory construction issues are legal questions reviewed de novo. Johnson *888 v. City of Fort Worth, 774 S.W.2d 653, 656 (Tex.1989). In construing a statute, the reviewing court should determine and give effect to the Legislature’s intent. National Liab. & Fire Ins. Co. v. Allen, 15 S.W.3d 525, 527 (Tex.2000); Liberty Mut. Ins. Co. v. Garrison Contractors, Inc., 966 S.W.2d 482, 484 (Tex.1998). The court must first look at the statute’s plain and common meaning. Allen, 15 S.W.3d at 527; Fitzgerald v. Advanced Spine Fixation, 996 S.W.2d 864, 865 (Tex.1999). The court presumes that the Legislature intended the plain meaning of the words it used. Allen, 15 S.W.3d at 527. And words, unless used as a term of art or connected with a particular trade or subject matter, are given their ordinary meaning. In re BACALA, 982 S.W.2d 371, 380 (Tex.1998); Tex. Gov’t Code Ann. § 311.011 (Vernon 2005). If the statute is unambiguous, the reviewing court typically adopts the interpretation supported by the plain meaning of the statute’s words; rules of construction and extrinsic aids should not be applied, nor extraneous matters inquired into. Allen, 15 S.W.3d at 527 (extraneous matters); Fitzgerald, 996 S.W.2d at 865-66 (rules of construction and extrinsic aids).

Section 11.182

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166 S.W.3d 885, 2005 WL 1483747, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-housing-foundation-v-brazos-county-appraisal-district-texapp-2005.