Hotel De La Monnaie Owners Ass'n, Inc. v. LA. TAX COM'N

669 So. 2d 455, 95 La.App. 1 Cir. 1009, 1995 La. App. LEXIS 3571, 1995 WL 743601
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 15, 1995
DocketCA 95 1009
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 669 So. 2d 455 (Hotel De La Monnaie Owners Ass'n, Inc. v. LA. TAX COM'N) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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Hotel De La Monnaie Owners Ass'n, Inc. v. LA. TAX COM'N, 669 So. 2d 455, 95 La.App. 1 Cir. 1009, 1995 La. App. LEXIS 3571, 1995 WL 743601 (La. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

669 So.2d 455 (1995)

HOTEL DE LA MONNAIE OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC.
v.
The LOUISIANA TAX COMMISSION.

No. CA 95 1009.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

December 15, 1995.
Rehearing Denied March 20, 1996.

*456 Vyrona M. Wiltz, Krotz Springs, for Defendant-Appellant The Louisiana Tax Commission.

Robert H. Abbott, III, Baton Rouge, for Plaintiff-Appellee Hotel de la Monnaie Owners Association, Inc.

Before LeBLANC, WHIPPLE and FOGG, JJ.

WHIPPLE, Judge.

This case is before us on appeal from a judgment rendered by the district court in favor of plaintiff, Hotel de la Monnaie Owners Association, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as the "taxpayer"), and against defendant, The Louisiana Tax Commission (hereinafter referred to as the "commission"), granting plaintiff's petition for judicial review and reversing the decision of the commission. For the following reasons, we reverse the judgment of the trial court and reinstate the decision of the commission.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

This case involves the valuation of property located at 405 Esplanade Avenue, in New Orleans, Louisiana, for purposes of the assessment of an ad valorem tax. Hotel de la *457 Monnaie is a fifty-three unit timeshare, comprising approximately 41,408 square feet.

Erroll G. Williams, Assessor for the Third Municipal District, Parish of Orleans, valued the land and improvements of the subject property in the amount of three million, five hundred seventy-three thousand, four hundred dollars ($3,573,400.00).[1] The taxpayer first sought review of the tax assessment of the property with the Orleans Parish Board of Review. The taxpayer maintained that the property should be valued at nine hundred fifty four thousand dollars ($954,000.00).[2] The Board of Review modified the original assessment and valued the property at two million, nine hundred six thousand, four hundred dollars ($2,906,400.00).[3] Both the assessor and the taxpayer appealed the decision to the commission.[4]

A hearing was held before the commission on November 29, 1993. Following the hearing, the commission determined that the fair market value of the property was two million, nine hundred twenty-four thousand, five hundred dollars ($2,924,500.00), based upon the land being valued at eight hundred thirty-five thousand dollars ($835,000.00) and the improvements at two million, eighty-nine thousand, five hundred dollars ($2,089,500.00).

The $2,924,500.00 figure adopted by the commission as the fair market value of the subject property (which was less than the figure submitted by the assessor and substantially more than the figure suggested by the taxpayer) was apparently based on an appraisal submitted by Mr. Steve LaGraize, a Louisiana Tax Commission staff appraiser. Prior to the hearing, the commission directed Mr. LaGraize to "independently appraise" the property and to submit a report to the commission. Mr. LaGraize appraised the property at $2,924,480.00 using the cost approach, allowing for 15% depreciation and $2,919,200.00 using the income approach. These computations also took into account the increase in the actual site square footage as calculated by the commission's appraiser. Additionally, Mr. LaGraize's computation utilized four apartment properties in Jefferson Parish.

The taxpayer argued before the commission that the comparables used by the commission's appraiser were outside of the tax district and were not truly reflective of the area or type of property at issue. Thus, the taxpayer argued that a lesser valuation should be used based on the comparables submitted by the taxpayer.

From that decision of the commission, the taxpayer sought judicial review. The taxpayer's appeal to the district court alleged that the assessor, the Board of Review and the commission had "ignored the law as it applies to timeshare condominiums and attempted to appraise the taxpayer's property as if it were not encumbered by [LSA-R.S. 9:1131.9(C)]" and "the Tax Commission Rules and Regulations, Louisiana Administrative Code Title 61:V.129, with regard to assessment of timeshare property." The district court agreed and by judgment dated February 8, 1995, the district court reversed the decision of the commission. The court concluded that the commission had ignored the applicable statutory provisions, in particular, LSA-R.S. 9:1131.9(C), in determining the value of the property. The court reversed the decision of the commission and determined that the fair market value of the property was $954,000.00, *458 as suggested by the taxpayer. This appeal by the commission followed.

DISCUSSION

Pursuant to constitutional authority found at LSA-Const. Art. 7, Sec. 18, each assessor is charged with the responsibility of determining the fair market value of all property subject to taxation within his parish, at intervals of not more than four years. In addition, the Louisiana Constitution requires that the fair market value be determined in accordance with criteria, established by law and applied uniformly throughout the state.

LSA-R.S. 47:2321 defines fair market value as follows:

Fair market value is the price for property which would be agreed upon between a willing and informed buyer and a willing and informed seller under usual and ordinary circumstances; it shall be the highest price estimated in terms of money which property will bring if exposed for sale on the open market with reasonable time allowed to find a purchaser who is buying with knowledge of all the uses and purposes to which the property is best adapted and for which it can be legally used.

LSA-R.S. 47:2323(C) provides as follows:

The fair market value of real and personal property shall be determined by the following generally recognized appraisal procedures: the market approach, the cost approach, and/or the income approach.
(1) In utilizing the market approach, the assessor shall use an appraisal technique in which the market value estimate is predicated upon prices paid in actual market transactions and current listings.
(2) In utilizing the cost approach, the assessor shall use a method in which the value of a property is derived by estimating the replacement or reproduction cost of the improvements; deducting therefrom the estimated depreciation; and then adding the market value of the land, if any.
(3) In utilizing the income approach, the assessor shall use an appraisal technique in which the anticipated net income is processed to indicate the capital amount of the investment which produces the net income.

Finally, LSA-R.S. 9:1131.9(C) provides:

The assessed value of a timeshare unit subject to a condominium declaration shall not exceed the assessed value of a comparable apartment, condominium unit, dwelling, or other accommodation that is not the subject of a timesharing plan.[5]

When a party is dissatisfied with the action of the commission, suit may be brought in district court, contesting the correctness of the assessment. LSA-R.S. 47:1998(A)(1). However, the extent of the review by the district court is governed by the Administrative Procedure Act. Williams v. Louisiana Tax Commission, 611 So.2d 724, 727 (La.App. 4th Cir.1992). Judicial review by the district court of an agency's final decision or order pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act is governed by LSA-R.S. 49:964(G).

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669 So. 2d 455, 95 La.App. 1 Cir. 1009, 1995 La. App. LEXIS 3571, 1995 WL 743601, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hotel-de-la-monnaie-owners-assn-inc-v-la-tax-comn-lactapp-1995.