Bill Dunn, McCracken County Property Valuation Administrator v. Solomon Foundation

Court of Appeals of Kentucky·Decided April 27, 2023·No. 2022 CA 000399·Unknown

Opinion

RENDERED: APRIL 28, 2023; 10:00 A.M.

TO BE PUBLISHED

Commonwealth of Kentucky

Court of Appeals

NO. 2022-CA-0399-MR

BILL DUNN, MCCRACKEN COUNTY PROPERTY VALUATION ADMINISTRATOR APPELLANT

APPEAL FROM MCCRACKEN CIRCUIT COURT v. HONORABLE TIMOTHY KALTENBACH, JUDGE ACTION NO. 21-CI-00191

SOLOMON FOUNDATION AND KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE APPELLEES

AND

NO. 2022-CA-0401-MR

DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE AND BILL DUNN, MCCRACKEN COUNTY PROPERTY VALUATION ADMINISTRATOR APPELLANTS

APPEAL FROM MCCRACKEN CIRCUIT COURT v. HONORABLE TIMOTHY KALTENBACH, JUDGE ACTION NO. 21-CI-00191

SOLOMON FOUNDATION, INC. APPELLEE

OPINION

AFFIRMING

** ** ** ** **

BEFORE: CETRULO, DIXON, AND EASTON, JUDGES. EASTON, JUDGE: This is an appeal of a judicial review of a decision by the Kentucky Board of Tax Appeals (“KBTA”). The ultimate question is whether the tax exemption contained in Section 170 of the Kentucky Constitution for property owned and occupied by institutions of religion requires a property to be both owned and occupied by one institution. Having determined the circuit court correctly applied the law to this question, we affirm.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND The Solomon Foundation (“TSF”) is a non-profit entity organized under Colorado law. It has two member churches, one in Texas and one in Arizona. Its exclusive purpose is to advance Restoration Movement Christian Churches. TSF raises funds by various methods with these funds used to assist in financing individual churches.

The IRS1 has classified TSF under several of its governing statutes.

TSF is considered a “church extension fund” as well as an “integrated auxiliary of a church.” The IRS even categorizes TSF as a “public charity.”

TSF owns the property at 1200 Jefferson Street in Paducah. This property had been used for many years as a church by other occupants. TSF leased this property to The Crossing Church which then subleased it to the current occupants, the Restoration Church and a ministry called Healing Projects. The lease documents require use consistent with the goals of TSF.

TSF sought an exemption from property tax2 for the property at 1200 Jefferson Street. The McCracken County Property Valuation Administrator (“PVA”) denied the exemption as did the local board of assessments appeals. The KBTA reviewed the matter with substantial evidence submitted to it. The KBTA decided TSF was not a purely public charity under Section 170 but was an institution of religion. Even though TSF was an institution of religion, the KBTA decided TSF still was not entitled to the exemption because the TSF did not both own and occupy the property at 1200 Jefferson Street.

1 The United States Internal Revenue Service.

2 Section 170 provides exemption from property or ad valorem taxes. See Commonwealth v. Interstate Gas Supply, Inc. for Use and Benefit of Tri-State Healthcare Laundry, Inc., 554 S.W.3d 831, 832 (Ky. 2018).

TSF filed a petition for judicial review in the McCracken Circuit Court. That court properly limited its review to the record before the KBTA. The circuit court agreed with the KBTA’s determination of TSF as an institution of religion but disagreed with the legal conclusion that TSF itself must both own and occupy the property to receive the exemption. Accordingly, the circuit court reversed the KBTA. Both PVA and the Kentucky Department of Revenue (“Revenue”) filed appeals to this Court.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

Our review as well as that of the circuit court in its review of an administrative decision is limited by KRS3 13B.150. Review is confined to the record before the KBTA. KRS 13B.140(3). N. Kentucky Mental Health-Mental Retardation Regional Board, Inc. v. Commonwealth, Cabinet for Health and Family Servs., 538 S.W.3d 298, 301 (Ky. App. 2017). We and the circuit court must accept the findings of fact made by the KBTA if they are supported by any substantial evidence in its record. As to legal conclusions, we review them de novo. Arterburn v. First Cmty. Bank, 299 S.W.3d 595, 598 (Ky. App. 2009).

There has been some debate by the parties as to whether the determination of phrases like “institutions of religion” is a mixed question of law and fact. If so, the de novo review still applies because it is still ultimately a

3 Kentucky Revised Statutes.

question of law. When the question is mixed, we have “greater latitude” in evaluating the evidentiary support for the factual component. Id. Regardless, when the legal question is one of constitutional interpretation, the review is de novo. Kentucky CATV Ass’n, Inc. v. City of Florence, 520 S.W.3d 355, 359 (Ky. 2017).

KRS 13B.150(2) permits specified outcomes for a judicial review.

The circuit court may affirm or reverse, in whole or in part, and remand for further proceedings. The statute permits reversal when the KBTA decision is contrary to the constitution or otherwise inconsistent with the law. KRS 13B.150(2)(a).

ANALYSIS

We must first review the procedural issue raised by how arguments were advanced by PVA and Revenue. Separate from the ultimate question of whether the tax exemption requires both ownership and occupation by one entity is the status of TSF as an institution of religion. The KBTA determined TSF was an institution of religion but denied the tax exemption because the KBTA concluded the exemption required TSF to both own and occupy the single church property at issue. TSF owned the property but did not occupy it.

Having been denied the exemption, TSF was “aggrieved” by the KBTA decision. TSF then had the right to file this action in the McCracken Circuit Court pursuant to KRS 49.250. Neither PVA nor Revenue was aggrieved

by the KBTA decision. They suffered no harm in this specific case from the result of the KBTA decision, because they won the overall argument about the tax exemption. See Brown v. Barkley, 628 S.W.2d 616, 619-20 (Ky. 1982). See also Revenue Cabinet, Commonwealth of Ky. v. CSC Oil Co., Inc., 851 S.W.2d 497, 503 (Ky. App. 1993).

PVA and Revenue disagreed with the KBTA about a particular factual or legal conclusion reached within the decision. This does not make PVA or Revenue an aggrieved party to seek judicial review of a case it won before the KBTA. To hold otherwise would encourage the seeking of advisory opinions to apply to future disputes. Kentucky courts may not issue advisory opinions. See Nordike v. Nordike, 231 S.W.3d 733, 739 (Ky. 2007).

In a situation where PVA or Revenue had won part of the case and lost part of it, such as some property was determined to be exempt and other property not exempt, then they, like TSF, would have been aggrieved parties and then would be required to file a petition for judicial review within thirty days of the KBTA decision. KRS 13B.140(1); Commonwealth ex rel. Luckett v. Louisville and Nashville R.R. Co., 479 S.W.2d 15, 17 (Ky. 1972).

This case involves only one petition filed by TSF, the only aggrieved party, in the McCracken Circuit Court. As we shall see, PVA’s and Revenue’s

lack of status as an aggrieved party does not prevent them from asserting arguments about the KBTA decision in this case once TSF filed for review.

Unfortunately, the verb appeal and the noun appeal are often used interchangeably. TSF did appeal (verb) to the circuit court, but this does not transform the proceeding into an appeal (noun), which may have any number of specific and different procedural rules applicable to it. We make this point to emphasize this case involves a judicial review of an administrative decision. The petition filed in the McCracken Circuit Court, regardless of being referred to as an appeal, is a complaint commencing a civil action governed by the Rules of Civil Procedure (“CR”).

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