American Management Associations v. Assessor of Madison

63 A.D.2d 1102, 406 N.Y.S.2d 583, 1978 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 12209
CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York
DecidedJune 29, 1978
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 63 A.D.2d 1102 (American Management Associations v. Assessor of Madison) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Management Associations v. Assessor of Madison, 63 A.D.2d 1102, 406 N.Y.S.2d 583, 1978 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 12209 (N.Y. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinion

Cross appeals from judgments of the Supreme Court, entered May 13, 1977 in Madison County, upon a decision of the court at a Trial Term, without a jury, which granted in part and denied in part petitioner’s applications, in 26 proceedings pursuant to article 7 of the Real Property Tax Law, for tax exempt status for 13 parcels of land for the years 1975 and 1976. Petitioner owns several parcels of land in Madison County and commenced proceedings pursuant to article 7 of the Real Property Tax Law to review the tax assessments upon 13 of these parcels for the years 1975 and 1976. It was alleged in the petitions that the 13 parcels were tax exempt under subdivision 1 of section 421 of the Real Property Tax Law due to the fact that petitioner was an educational institution and the parcels were used exclusively for educational purposes. The trial court found that petitioner was essentially a school for the continuing education of businessmen; that it does not run on a semester basis but, rather, its courses, seminars and conferences last from two days to four weeks; that approximately 4,800 courses and seminars were conducted world-wide from July 1, 1974 to June 20, 1976; that petitioner maintains libraries for its members; that the research conducted by petitioner is in furtherance of its educational purposes; and that the salaries paid to petitioner’s officers and employees constituted reasonable compensation for services rendered in carrying out its purposes. The court implicitly determined that petitioner is organized exclusively for educational purposes within the meaning of section 421 of the Real Property Tax Law but concluded that only some of the 13 parcels in question were used exclusively for educational purposes and thus exempt. These appeals ensued. Initially, it is contended that petitioner is not an educational institution within the [1103]*1103meaning of section 421 of the Real Property Tax Law. Pursuant to section 421 (subd 1, par [a]), real property owned by a corporation organized or conducted exclusively for educational purposes and used exclusively for such a purpose is exempt from taxation. Section 421 (subd 1, par [d]) provides that said real property shall not be exempt if any officer, member, or employee of the owning corporation shall receive any pecuniary profit from the operations thereof, except reasonable compensation for services in effecting its educational purposes; or if the organization thereof is a guise or pretence for making any other profit for the corporation, its members or employees; or if it is not in good faith organized or conducted for educational purposes. Education, as that term is used in section 421 (subd 1, par [a]), refers "to the development of faculties and powers and the expansion of knowledge by teaching, instruction or schooling” (Matter of Swedenborg Foundation v Lewisohn, 40 NY2d 87, 94). The term "exclusively”, as used in the same subdivision, has been interpreted to mean "primarily” (Matter of American Bible Soc. v Lewisohn, 40 NY2d 78). Upon our examination of the record, it is the opinion of this court that the trial court correctly determined that petitioner was organized exclusively for educational purposes within the meaning of section 421. Having so concluded, we must now determine the propriety of the trial court’s findings as to the exempt status of each parcel in question. Where the use of certain property is merely auxiliary or incidental to the exempt purpose, the exemption will not be defeated (Matter of Association of Bar of City of N. F v Lewisohn, 34 NY2d 143). The trial court granted exempt status to two parcels and part of a third. Located on these parcels were residence facilities, dining and recreational facilities, buildings containing classrooms and meeting rooms, a restored "village”, a library and offices. In our view, these parcels were properly exempted (Matter of Faculty-Student Assn, of State Univ. Coll, at Oswego v Sharkey, 35 AD2d 161, affd 29 NY2d 621; People ex rel. Clarkson Mem. Coll, v Haggett, 274 App Div 732, affd 300 NY 595). The remainder of the third parcel was used for agricultural purposes and it was stipulated between the parties that no exemption was being sought for that part of the parcel. Six of the remaining parcels contain a maintenance building, recreation building, residence facilities for students, teachers and staff, meeting halls, and dining facilities. These facilities are reasonably incidental to the major purpose of petitioner. Consequently, it is our opinion that the trial court was in error in refusing to classify these parcels numbered 393, 396, 403, 507, 519 and 532 as exempt (see Matter of Faculty-Student Assn, of State Univ. Coll, at Oswego v Sharkey, supra). Parcels Nos. 405 and 388 contain an recreation building, a small golf course, lake frontage and maintenance buildings. As we believe these facilities to also be reasonably incidental to petitioner’s main educational purpose, we conclude that these parcels should also have been granted tax exempt status (Matter of Faculty-Student Assn, of State Univ. Coll, at Oswego v Sharkey, supra). Parcel No. 286 has been denominated as an automotive center and contains two buildings, one used for general maintenance and the other as a garage. As these buildings are used in the upkeep of the vehicles used by petitioner in its activities, we are of the view that this parcel should also be exempt. The final parcel, Parcel No. 304, contains about one fourth of an airport runway and four buildings used for a hangar, aircraft storage, maintenance and flight operations. This airport is managed by a private individual who conducts his own business at the site which includes the sale of fuel and flight instruction. Fuel is also sold by the individual to accommodate private aircraft going to places other than functions of petitioner. These services are [1104]*1104open to all who land at the airport regardless of their involvement with petitioner’s activities. Considering the utilization of this parcel, it is our opinion that its use is insufficiently related to petitioner’s educational purpose so as to warrant tax exempt status and the trial court properly so found. The judgments, therefore, should be modified so as to reverse so much of the judgments as confirmed the assessments of Parcels Nos, 286, 388, 393, 396, 403, 405, 507, 519 and 532 for the years 1975 and 1976 and the said parcels should be declared exempt from real property taxation, and, as so modified, the judgments should be affirmed. Judgments modified, on the law and the facts, so as to reverse so much thereof as confirmed the assessments of Parcels Nos. 286, 388, 393, 396, 403, 405, 507, 519 and 532 and said parcels are declared exempt from real property taxation, and, as so modified, affirmed, without costs. Greenblott, J. P., Sweeney and Main, JJ., concur; Staley, Jr., J., dissents and votes to reverse in the following memorandum. Staley, Jr., J. (dissenting). I respectfully dissent since I do not agree with the majority or the trial court that petitioner was organized or conducted exclusively for educational purposes within the meaning of section 421 of the Real Property Tax Law. Section 421 of the Real Property Tax Law provides, in pertinent part, as follows: "Non-profit organizations 1.

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Bluebook (online)
63 A.D.2d 1102, 406 N.Y.S.2d 583, 1978 N.Y. App. Div. LEXIS 12209, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-management-associations-v-assessor-of-madison-nyappdiv-1978.