Fifth Avenue Office Center Co. v. City of Mount Vernon

680 N.E.2d 590, 89 N.Y.2d 735
CourtNew York Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 1, 1997
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 680 N.E.2d 590 (Fifth Avenue Office Center Co. v. City of Mount Vernon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fifth Avenue Office Center Co. v. City of Mount Vernon, 680 N.E.2d 590, 89 N.Y.2d 735 (N.Y. 1997).

Opinion

[738]*738OPINION OF THE COURT

Chief Judge Kaye.

Under Mount Vernon City local law, the Board of Assessment Review must deny any complaint concerning assessment of income-producing realty if the property owner failed to submit an annual income and expense statement in a timely manner to the Commissioner of Assessment. The issue here is whether a taxpayer’s failure to comply with this preassessment disclosure requirement also precludes judicial review pursuant to RPTL article 7. Contrary to the Appellate Division, we conclude that the local disclosure law is not a condition precedent to judicial review of a tax assessment.

In 1990, the City of Mount Vernon enacted Local Law No. 4 (Mount Vernon City Charter § 226-a [1]), which requires owners of income-producing real property to file an annual income and expense statement with the Commissioner of Assessment by the first day of February. The Commissioner can extend the deadline for up to 30 days "for good cause shown” (Mount Vernon City Charter § 226-a [1] [D]). If the statement is not timely filed, the Commissioner may compel production of relevant books and records by subpoena or apply for a court order requiring the owner to furnish the income and expense statement as well as related books and records (§ 226-a [4] [B]). Local Law No. 4 further specifies that, where a property owner fails to provide the requisite statement on time, "the Board of Assessment Review shall deny any complaint in relation to the assessment of such property by such owner” (§ 226-a [4] [A]).

The petitioners in these two cases are owners of income-producing commercial realty in the City of Mount Vernon. It is [739]*739undisputed that both petitioners failed to file income and expense statements by the February 1, 1992 deadline as required by the local law. Moreover, neither sought an extension from the Commissioner.

Once the tentative assessment roll was established, petitioners timely filed complaints with the Board of Assessment Review seeking reduction of the 1992 tax assessments for their properties. Thereafter, on request of the Board petitioners each forwarded information regarding their business operations — including income and expense statements. The Board, however, declined to review petitioners’ claims, due to their initial failure to file the income and expense statements.

Petitioners commenced the instant proceedings for judicial review of their tax assessments under RPTL article 7. Respondents moved to dismiss the proceedings, arguing that timely filing of an income and expense statement pursuant to local law was a prerequisite to obtaining any reduction. Supreme Court denied the motions, holding that petitioners had complied with the conditions for judicial review contained in the RPTL and were thus entitled to such review.

The Appellate Division reversed, denied the petitions and dismissed the proceedings. Stressing the importance of the administrative assessment review process, the Appellate Division held that judicial review is not available to a taxpayer who failed to provide the income and expense statement in accordance with the local law. Because the requirements for judicial review of property assessments do not include compliance with local laws governing disclosure of financial information to the assessor prior to preparation of the tentative assessment roll, we agree with Supreme Court that the statutory conditions for challenging the assessment in court have been satisfied. We therefore reverse and reinstate the petitions.

Analysis

Respondents’ primary contention is that public policy supports imposing and strictly enforcing requirements for early disclosure of financial statements to local assessors. They urge that submission of such statements prior to preparation of the tentative assessment roll — as compelled by the local law— increases the accuracy of preliminary assessments and reduces the need for administrative adjustment.

As a matter of policy, encouraging efficient and accurate tentative assessments may well be a laudable goal. Our role, [740]*740however, is not to determine the policy issue of how best to assure accurate assessment rolls. Our role is to determine the legal question whether a municipality, in the absence of action by the Legislature, can enforce early disclosure requirements in a manner that restricts judicial review of property assessments. We conclude that it cannot.

Our State Constitution places responsibility for providing for review of tax assessments with the Legislature (see, NY Const, art XVI, § 2). The Legislature, in the Municipal Home Rule Law, has authorized cities to adopt local laws rélating to "[t]he preparation, making, confirmation and correction of assessments of real property and the review of such assessments subject to further review by the courts as provided by law” (§ 10 [1] [ii] [c] [2] [emphasis added]). The statute thus plainly contemplates review at both the local and State levels (see, Matter of 749 Broadway Realty Corp. v Boyland, 1 AD2d 819, affd 3 NY2d 737). The Legislature, moreover, has set forth procedures and requirements for administrative review of property assessments in RPTL article 5 and for judicial review in RPTL article 7.

The Municipal Home Rule Law further specifies that local governments may not enact local laws "inconsistent with the provisions of the constitution or * * * any general law” (§ 10 [1] [ii]). Likewise, article IX of the Constitution empowers local governments to adopt laws relating to "[t]he levy, collection and administration of local taxes,” so long as those enactments are "consistent with laws enacted by the legislature” (NY Const, art IX, § 2 [c] [ii] [8]).

In 41 Kew Gardens Rd. Assocs. v Tyburski (70 NY2d 325), this Court held that a similar requirement that property owners file income and expense statements to facilitate preparation of property assessments was facially constitutional and a valid exercise of the City’s home rule power. We did not, however, address the validity of the local law’s enforcement mechanisms in Tyburski (see, 70 NY2d at 336) — the question we now confront.

Local Law No. 4 penalizes noncompliance with its filing requirement by restricting the availability of administrative correction of realty assessments. While it does not expressly bar judicial correction, the Appellate Division concluded that taxpayers who do not timely file forfeit the right to adjustment by the courts as well as by the Board. Petitioners argue that this determination renders Local Law No. 4 inconsistent with the provisions of RPTL articles 5 and 7. We agree.

[741]*741Under the statutory scheme, the local assessor is responsible for investigating the facts necessary to establish a proper assessment roll (see, RPTL 500). The taxpayer is notified once the tentative assessment roll is fixed and may file a complaint requesting adjustment by the Board (see, RPTL 506, 512, 524). After all complaints have been heard and determined by the Board, the final assessment roll is established by the assessor, and a taxpayer who remains dissatisfied may seek judicial review pursuant to article 7 (see, RPTL 514, 516, 526; see also, Matter of Grossman v Board of Trustees, 44 AD2d 259 [Simons, JJ).

Like Local Law No. 4, RPTL article 5 conditions a real property owner’s entitlement to reduction on disclosure of certain relevant information.

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Bluebook (online)
680 N.E.2d 590, 89 N.Y.2d 735, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fifth-avenue-office-center-co-v-city-of-mount-vernon-ny-1997.