Bethesda Foundation v. County of Saunders

264 N.W.2d 664, 200 Neb. 574, 1978 Neb. LEXIS 610
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedApril 12, 1978
Docket41353, 41354, 41355
StatusPublished
Cited by31 cases

This text of 264 N.W.2d 664 (Bethesda Foundation v. County of Saunders) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bethesda Foundation v. County of Saunders, 264 N.W.2d 664, 200 Neb. 574, 1978 Neb. LEXIS 610 (Neb. 1978).

Opinions

Brodkey, J.

The issue presented in this appeal is whether a nursing home located in Saunders County, and owned and operated by the Bethesda Foundation, [575]*575was entitled to tax exempt status in 1972, 1974, and 1975 on the ground that it was owned and used exclusively for charitable purposes. The board of equalization of Saunders County denied Bethesda’s application for tax exemption as a charitable organization in each of those years. Bethesda appealed to the District Court, which found that the property in question was owned and used exclusively for charitable and religious purposes, and that it was not owned or used for financial gain or profit to either the owner or the user. The District Court concluded that the board of equalization had erred in denying tax exemption to the nursing home. The County of Saunders has appealed to this court, contending that the District Court erred in concluding that the nursing home was exempt from taxation. We affirm.

The Bethesda Foundation is a Nebraska nonprofit corporation organized exclusively for charitable and religious purposes, and its specific purpose is to own and operate nonprofit homes for the physical, psychological, and spiritual care of elderly persons. Bethesda’s articles of incorporation provide that no part of the earnings of Bethesda shall inure to the benefit of the directors, officers, or other private persons, except for reasonable compensation or fees for services rendered. The articles of incorporation also provide that upon dissolution of the corporation its assets shall be disposed of exclusively for the purposes of the corporation, or to organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes so as to qualify for tax exemption under the Internal Revenue Code.

Bethesda operates more than 20 nursing homes in 7 states. Accounting, payment of salaries to employees, and general administrative tasks for all the nursing homes are performed at a central office in Millard, Nebraska. If revenue at a particular nursing home exceeds expenses, the net gain is used [576]*576elsewhere in the Foundation to offset net losses of homes where expenses exceed revenue. Bethesda maintains one consolidated annual balance sheet for all its operations, and, as an entity, its expenses have exceeded its revenue in past years. In 1975, for example, Bethesda had losses of more than $1,-000,000, and projected losses in 1976 were $400,000. To offset these losses, Bethesda has sought contributions from the public.

In 1971, Bethesda acquired the Ash Manor Nursing Home in Ashland, Nebraska. Bethesda replaced an antiquated structure with a new building, and Ash Manor is now a modern, 91-bed facility. It is licensed by the Department of Health of the State of Nebraska as an Intermediate Care Facility I. The admission policy of the home is nondiscriminatory, and the only requirement for admission is certification by a physician that the patient is in need of nursing care. Ash Manor accepts applicants on a “first come, first serve” basis, and ability to pay is not a consideration for admission.

Every person living at Ash Manor requires nursing care, which is provided by 2 registered nurses, 4 licensed practical nurses, 23 nurse aides, and 2 physical therapists. Much of the care administered to patients at Ash Manor is analogous to hospital care, and many of the patients would require hospitalization if they were not in Ash Manor. Many of the patients are not ambulatory, and many must be hand-fed.

Patients who are able to pay are charged $15, $16.25, or $17.50 per day, depending on the degree of care they require. At the time of trial, Ash Manor had 35 private pay patients. The other 56 patients received Medicaid benefits in the amount of $12.71 per day, but this Medicaid reimbursement does not cover the cost of caring for Medicaid patients. No patient has ever been removed from the home for refusal or inability to pay, and no law suit has ever [577]*577been commenced to collect payment from a patient.

Accounting statements indicate that Ash Manor’s expenses exceeded revenue by approximately $3,700 in 1975. Two statements for 1973 and 1974 indicate that revenue exceeded expenses by about $44,000 and $28,000 in those years, but those figures do not reflect a ratable share of general office overhead or interest on general obligation debts allocable to Ash Manor, as did the 1975 figures. Bethesda’s chief executive officer testified that if -the latter two considerations were taken into account, there would have been little, if any, net income at Ash Manor in 1973 and 1974. Any excess revenue which did exist would be used to cover losses at other Bethesda nursing homes. Employees at Ash Manor are compensated at rates comparable to those paid in similar institutions. The administrator, for example, receives $900 per month.

The evidence at trial also showed that religion plays an important role at Ash Manor. An interdenominational religious service is held every week, and there are daily Bible study sessions. The staff provides transportation for those patients who wish to attend a local church. Pastors from local churches agreed that there was a religious atmosphere at Ash Manor.

Property owned and used exclusively for religious, educational, or charitable purposes is exempt from taxation when such property is not owned or used for financial gain or profit to either the owner or user. Art. VIII, § 2, Constitution of Nebraska; § 77-202, R. R. S. 1943. It is the primary or dominant use, and not an incidental use, of the property which is controlling in determining whether property is exempt from taxation under section 77-202, R. R. S. 1943. Lincoln Woman’s Club v. City of Lincoln, 178 Neb. 357, 133 N. W. 2d 455 (1965). If the property in question is used for no other purposes than those which are educational, religious, and charitable, the conditions of exemption have been complied with, irre[578]*578spective of the proportion which any one of these distinctive purposes may bear to the others. Lincoln Woman’s Club v. City of Lincoln, supra; Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite v. Board of County Commissioners, 122 Neb. 586, 241 N. W. 93 (1932). The question presented in the present case is whether primary or dominant use of Ash Manor was for religious and charitable purposes in the tax years in question.

In Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Soc. v. County of Gage, 181 Neb. 831, 151 N. W. 2d 446 (1967), this court determined that a nursing home was entitled to tax exemption in a case with facts similar to those in the present case. In Good Samaritan the owner of the nursing home was a nonprofit corporation organized for purposes similar to those for which Bethesda was organized, and which operated a number of institutions in several states. The nursing homes in Good Samaritan provided nursing care to patients similar to that provided by Ash Manor, and the requirements of the patients in both cases are analogous. The nursing home in Good Samaritan, like Ash Manor, had both private pay and welfare patients, and sometimes revenue exceeded expenses. Surplus revenue at one home would be used to offset losses at another home.

In Good Samaritan this court concluded that the nursing homes were charitable institutions, noting that the concept of charity was broad enough to include practical enterprises for the good of humanity operated at a moderate cost to those who receive benefits. We found that nursing homes are analogous to hospitals which are universally classed as charitable institutions.

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Related

In re Estate of Akerson
309 Neb. 470 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 2021)
Bethesda Foundation v. Buffalo County Board of Equalization
640 N.W.2d 398 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 2002)
Immanuel, Inc. v. Board of Equalization
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Bethesda Foundation v. County of Saunders
264 N.W.2d 664 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1978)

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Bluebook (online)
264 N.W.2d 664, 200 Neb. 574, 1978 Neb. LEXIS 610, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bethesda-foundation-v-county-of-saunders-neb-1978.