Harris County Appraisal District v. Wilkerson

911 S.W.2d 84, 1995 Tex. App. LEXIS 1853, 1995 WL 475622
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 10, 1995
DocketNo. 01-94-01091-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 911 S.W.2d 84 (Harris County Appraisal District v. Wilkerson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harris County Appraisal District v. Wilkerson, 911 S.W.2d 84, 1995 Tex. App. LEXIS 1853, 1995 WL 475622 (Tex. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinions

OPINION

O’CONNOR, Justice.

This case presents the question whether the land on which a golf course sits is a forest for purposes of a timber tax evaluation under the Tax Code. We hold it is not.

At trial, James H. Wilkerson argued he was entitled to carve out fairways, greens, and a pro-shop from the forest and evaluate the rest of the forest as timberland. The Harris County Appraisal District disagreed, arguing the golf course and the land on which it sits are commingled and part of the land cannot be evaluated as timberland. The trial court ruled for Wilkerson. On appeal, the District, as the appellant, complains that the evidence is not sufficient to support the trial court’s findings of fact. We reverse and render for the District.

Facts

Wilkerson owns a 775-acre tract of land near Humble, Texas. The land has been carried on the District’s tax rolls as timber-use valuation since before 1983. On January 2, 1992, Wilkerson leased about 132 acres of non-contiguous property out of the 775-aere tract to Tour 18, I, Ltd., a Texas Limited Partnership.1 Tour 18 built a golf course on the leased premises that opened in 1992. On a map, the land in between the leased 132 acres resembles a gerrymandered political district. The golf course’s fairways, greens, and pro-shop are surrounded by land not included in the lease. It is the land in between the fairways, greens, and pro-shop that Wilkerson claims a timberland tax valuation.

On April 23, 1992, Wilkerson gave the District notice that a change of use had occurred on the 132 acres leased to Tour 18. Wilkerson asked the District to continue the timberland valuation on the property in and around the greens, fairways, and pro-shop, and only revalue the land actually leased to Tour 18. The District reviewed the notice and decided that the golf course used and occupied a 381-acre tract, not just the isolated islands of greens, fairways, and pro-shop. The District determined that, for 1992 and 1993, a change of use had occurred on an entire 381-acre tract.

Wilkerson appealed the District’s decision to the district court. After a non-jury trial, the court rendered judgment that the change in use from timberland for 1992 and 1993 applied only to the leased 132 acres; therefore, the remaining 248.95 acres carved out by the District were entitled to the timber-use valuation for tax purposes. The trial court filed findings of fact and conclusions of law.

[86]*86Sufficiency of the evidence

In points of error two through five, eight, and nine, the District contends the evidence is legally and factually insufficient to support the trial court’s findings of fact that the change in use from timberland to non-timberland occurred in 1992 only on 132 acres of the 381-acre tract; therefore, the evidence was legally and factually insufficient to support the judgment. In other words, the District contends the evidence is legally and factually insufficient to support a finding that the remaining 248.95 acres qualified as timberland under TexTax Code § 23.72 (Vernon 1992). In points of error six and seven, the District contends the trial court erred in its conclusions of law.

Standard of review

Findings of fact in a case tried to the court have the same weight as a jury’s answers to questions in the charge. Pizzito-la v. Galveston County Cent. Appraisal Dist., 808 S.W.2d 244, 246 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1991, no writ). Findings of fact are not conclusive when a complete statement of facts appears in the record. Pontiac v. Elliott, 775 S.W.2d 395, 399 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1989, writ denied). Findings of fact are binding on this Court only if supported by evidence of probative force. Id. The trial court’s findings of fact are reviewable by the same standards that are applied in reviewing the legal and factual sufficiency of the evidence supporting a jury’s answer to a jury question. Catalina v. Blasdel, 881 S.W.2d 295, 297 (Tex.1994); Stem v. Wonzer, 846 S.W.2d 939, 942 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1993, no writ).

In reviewing the legal sufficiency of the evidence, we consider only the evidence and inferences that, when viewed in their most favorable light, tend to support the finding, and ignore all evidence and inferences to the contrary. Catalina, 881 S.W.2d at 297 (“no evidence” point); Stern, 846 S.W.2d at 942. If there is any evidence of probative force, we must overrule the point and uphold the finding. Garza v. Alviar, 395 S.W.2d 821, 823 (Tex.1965); Stern, 846 S.W.2d at 942. In reviewing the factual sufficiency of the evidence, we examine all of the evidence, both the evidence that supports the finding and the evidence that controverts the finding. Cain v. Bain, 709 S.W.2d 175, 176 (Tex.1986); Pizzitola, 808 S.W.2d at 247. We will set aside the finding only if it is so against the great weight and preponderance of the evidence that it is clearly wrong and manifestly unjust. Cain, 709 S.W.2d at 176; Airflow Houston, Inc. v. Theriot, 849 S.W.2d 928, 931 (TexApp.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1993, no writ).

Although a party may not challenge the trial court’s conclusions of law for factual insufficiency, a party may challenge them as incorrect, based on the facts. Airflow Houston, 849 S.W.2d at 931. We review conclusions of law de novo as a question of law, and we uphold them if the judgment can be sustained on any legal theory supported by the evidence. Nelkin v. Panzer, 833 S.W.2d 267, 268 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 1992, writ dism’d w.o.j.).

The trial court’s findings

In its findings of fact, the trial court found (1) a change of use occurred in 1992 on 132 acres; (2) the District erred in assessing rollback taxes against Wilkerson on 381 acres instead of on 132 acres; and (3) the property that is used for a golf cart path and for lakes and ponds that is not included within the 132 acres does not interfere or change the timber-use designation of the remaining 248.95 acres. In its conclusions of lav/, the trial court concluded the change in use of timberland applies only to 132 acres, and the tax rolls for 1992 and 1993 will show the acreage that changed use as 132 acres.

The applicable law

The Tax Code provides the method for appraising qualified timberland, and provides the taxes to be assessed on property when a change in use of timberland has occurred. TexTax Code §§ 23.73, 23.76(a), (d) (Vernon 1992). Section 23.73(a) provides:

The appraised value of qualified timber land is determined on the basis of the category of the land, using accepted income capitalization methods applied to average net to land. The appraised value so [87]*87determined may not exceed the market value of the land as determined by other appraisal methods.

The code also provides the qualifications necessary for land to receive a timberland appraisal.

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Bluebook (online)
911 S.W.2d 84, 1995 Tex. App. LEXIS 1853, 1995 WL 475622, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harris-county-appraisal-district-v-wilkerson-texapp-1995.