Gallick v. Franklin Cty. Bd of Revision

2018 Ohio 5102
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in Gallick v. Franklin Cty. Bd of Revision. Read the opinion of the Court — 2019 Ohio 485
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided December 18, 2018·No. 18AP-28 & 18AP-29·Published

Opinion

[Cite as Gallick v. Franklin Cty. Bd of Revision, 2018-Ohio-5102.] IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF OHIO

TENTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

John J. Gallick, : No. 18AP-28 Appellant-Appellant, : (BTA No. 2017-1119) No. 18AP-29 v. : (BTA No. 2017-1120)

Franklin County Board of Revision et al., : (REGULAR CALENDAR)

Appellees-Appellees. :

D E C I S I O N

Rendered on December 18, 2018

On brief: John J. Gallick, pro se. Argued: John J. Gallick.

On brief: Ron O'Brien, Prosecuting Attorney, and William J. Stehle, for appellee Franklin County Board of Revision and Franklin County Auditor.

On brief: Rich & Gillis Law Group, Mark H. Gillis, and Richelle L. Thoburn, for appellee Board of Education of the Columbus City Schools. Argued: Richelle L. Thoburn.

APPEALS from the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals

BROWN, P.J. {¶ 1} In these consolidated appeals, appellant, John J. Gallick, appeals from decisions and orders of the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals ("BTA") in case Nos. 2017-1119 and 2017-1120 in which the BTA affirmed decisions of appellee, Franklin County Board of Revision ("BOR"), dismissing appellant's complaints challenging the valuation for two parcels of real estate. {¶ 2} On March 22, 2017, appellant filed complaints with the county auditor seeking a reduction in valuation for parcel Nos. 010-070331-00 and 010-063544-00 for Nos. 18AP-28 and 18AP-29 2

tax year 2016. On April 29, 2017, appellee, Board of Education of the Columbus City School District ("BOE"), filed a counter-complaint. {¶ 3} On July 6, 2017, BOR conducted a hearing regarding the complaints. During the hearing, counsel for BOE moved to dismiss the tax year 2016 complaints on the basis the filings constituted the third filing by appellant in the same triennium period with respect to both properties. On July 10, 2017, BOR issued decisions dismissing both of appellant's complaints "for duplicate filing within a 3 year period." {¶ 4} On July 28, 2017, appellant filed notices of appeal with BTA from decisions of BOR. The BOE subsequently filed motions to affirm BOR's dismissal of the complaints. On November 17, 2017, appellant filed a brief contra. On December 12, 2017, BTA issued decisions and orders in case Nos. 2017-1119 and 2017-1120, affirming the decisions of BOR to dismiss appellant's complaints in both cases. {¶ 5} On appeal, appellant, pro se, sets forth the following nine assignments of error for this court's review: I. It is unfair and a denial of due process to dismiss the BOR complaint and BTA appeal pursuant to R.C. 5715.19(A)(2) when the taxpayer has been appealing property tax valuations for these same two properties over a period of 65 months since tax year triennial 2011-2013 and then tax year triennial 2014-2016; however, the auditor is permitted to arbitrarily continue raising tax valuations from one triennial to another but the taxpayer is not permitted to appeal more than once during the triennial period despite the uncertainty and unreasonable administrative delays in obtaining decisions from the BOR, the court systems, and the BTA during the first triennial and then part of the second triennial, and the Auditor, BOR and BTA values are inconsistent over the six- year period.

II. It is unfair to dismiss the BTA appeal when the taxpayer was finally able to negotiate and finalize mediated and agreed upon tax year valuations and stipulations for tax years 2011- 2013 with the appellees which arbitrarily had no significance to the auditor, BOR or BTA for subsequent tax years valuations for 2014-2016 and the auditor's increase in valuations for tax years 2014-2016 were arbitrary and without a basis in fact, changes in the taxpayer's market for tax years 2014-2[0]16 were negative in nature, i.e., "The market had fallen," and no improvements were made to the properties to warrant an increase in value. Nos. 18AP-28 and 18AP-29 3

III. The BOR and BTA erred in dismissing the complaint when the taxpayer offered comparable properties as a basis of value some of which were recent arm's-length sales and thus should have allowed the complaint to move forward according to R.C. 5715.19(A)(2)(a), i.e., "The property was sold in an arm's- length transaction."

IV. The BOR and BTA erred in dismissing the complaint when review of the taxpayer's overall complaint complied with R.C. 5715.19(A)(2)(a), (b) & (d) when the taxpayer wrote in on line 9 of the complaint that: "The market has fallen," and the taxpayer offered evidence of negative social and economic conditions in the market of the properties under review to the BOR, and then again to the BTA by way of briefs in opposition to the Appellees motion to dismiss the complaint.

V. The BOR and BTA erred in dismissing the taxpayer's complaint when Revised Code Sections 5715.13 and 5715.24 require the filing of a complaint in order to obtain a decrease in value of the properties.

VI. The BOR and BTA erred in dismissing the taxpayer's complaint when the complaint, and evidence put before the BOR and BTA, was enough to avoid dismissal and did not violate the core of procedural efficiency as to warrant the dismissal.

VII. The BOR and BTA erred in dismissing the taxpayer's complaint when both forums rejected the taxpayer's ongoing and fluctuating casualties and decreases in occupancy, and the BTA specifically erred by finding that high crime rates were not casualties – crime rates and the opioid epidemic endemic to these neighborhoods that negatively affect the social and economic values of the properties and should result in lower values of the properties for any purpose thus negating dismissal of the complaint under R.C. 5715.19(A)(2)(b), "The property lost value due to some casualty."

VIII. The BOR and BTA erred by dismissing the taxpayer's complaint when the BOR heard the taxpayer's evidence yet dismissed the complaint by reference to a statute but without reason denying the taxpayer due process when the BOR is upholding the auditor's assessment based upon an improper cost approach and the auditor totally ignores the most reliable approach to value which is the sales comparison or market approach. Nos. 18AP-28 and 18AP-29 4

IX. The BOR and BTA erred by dismissing the taxpayer's complaint when the BOR has in fact set forth different values for these properties during the triennial period.

{¶ 6} R.C. 5717.04 sets forth the standard of review for appeals from BTA, and states in part: "If upon hearing and consideration of [the] record and evidence the court decides that the decision of the board appealed from is reasonable and lawful it shall affirm the same." Accordingly, "the standard of review for a matter appealed from the BTA is whether the decision 'is reasonable and lawful.' " Girl Scouts – Great Trail Council v. Levin, 113 Ohio St.3d 24, 2007-Ohio-972, ¶ 9. {¶ 7} We initially consider arguments raised under the third, fourth, and sixth assignments of error of appellant's pro se brief. Under these assignments of error, appellant argues BOR and BTA erred by: (1) improperly applying R.C. 5715.19(A)(2)(a) and dismissing his complaints for failure to comply with the "technical aspect" of the complaint form, (2) failing to find that the complaints complied with R.C. 5715.19(A)(2)(b) and (d), and (3) dismissing the complaints when the complaints and evidence were "enough to avoid dismissal." (Appellant's Brief at 20, 26.) {¶ 8} As noted under the facts, on March 22, 2017, appellant filed complaints seeking a reduction in valuation of two properties for tax year 2016. Appellant had previously filed complaints with respect to those properties for tax years 2014 and 2015, and it is undisputed that the three-year interim period for Franklin County involved tax years 2014, 2015, and 2016.

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Gallick v. Franklin Cty. Bd of Revision, 2018 Ohio 5102 (Ohio Ct. App. 2018).

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