Houston Lighting & Power Co. v. Dickinson Independent School District

641 S.W.2d 302, 1982 Tex. App. LEXIS 5011
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 5, 1982
DocketB2992
StatusPublished
Cited by31 cases

This text of 641 S.W.2d 302 (Houston Lighting & Power Co. v. Dickinson Independent School District) 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
Houston Lighting & Power Co. v. Dickinson Independent School District, 641 S.W.2d 302, 1982 Tex. App. LEXIS 5011 (Tex. Ct. App. 1982).

Opinion

MURPHY, Justice.

We have reconsidered our decision in light of appellees’ motion for rehearing and new authority urged in appellees’ post-submission brief which inadvertently escaped the court’s attention. We have granted appellees’ motion for rehearing and now withdraw our original opinion and substitute the following decision.

Houston Lighting and Power Company (HL&P) appealed the trial court’s judgment for recovery of delinquent ad valorem taxes, attorney’s fees plus post-judgment interest on those amounts, and court costs in favor of appellees, Dickinson Independent School District (Dickinson), its Board of Trustees (Trustees), the Board of Equalization (Board), and the Tax Assessor-Collector, Mr. Wilson S. Deats (Deats). HL&P asserts twenty-two points of error on appeal challenging the findings of fact and conclusions of law, the state of the evidence, and the assessment of attorney’s fees, post-judgment interest and court costs. We affirm.

HL&P owns the P.H. Robinson generating facility and cooling towers located within the Dickinson district which began property reappraisal in early 1980. Having received notice of a reappraisal of its properties, HL&P introduced valuation evidence including a sworn rendition at a public hearing held July 29,1980, which the Board took under advisement. The Board reconvened on August 26, 1980, heard further evidence brought by HL&P and went into executive session to deliberate. The Board completed its deliberations and informed HL&P of the new assessed value placed upon its properties and adjourned. HL&P notified the Board it disagreed with the valuation assessed prior to adjournment. HL&P filed suit against appellees pursuant to Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. art. 7345f (Vernon 1979). In its original petition filed September 30, 1980, HL&P challenged and sought *305 to avoid the assessment on grounds of ex-cessiveness and discrimination. HL&P’s amended petition filed December 1, 1980, reiterated its assertions and sought injunc-tive relief and to mandamus Dickinson to re-value the subject property. Appellees, defendants below, filed their original answer generally denying HL&P’s contentions on October 24,1980. HL&P unconditionally tendered $729,042.73 for taxes due to Dickinson on or about January 22, 1981. In their first amended answer filed March 16, 1981, appellees asserted a plea in abatement in regard to HL&P’s tender and a counterclaim for delinquent taxes. The trial court held a hearing on the plea in abatement on March 25,1981 and found HL&P’s tender of January 22, 1981, was not an equitable tender in good faith and entered an order sustaining the plea in abatement. HL&P’s second amended petition filed June 4, 1981 reiterated its previous contentions and also asserted violations of Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann. arts. 6252-17 and 7244c (Vernon Supp.1982). The case came to trial on June 17,1981 and the trial court signed its final judgment on August 11, 1981. In its findings of fact filed November 4, 1981, the trial court found, in pertinent part, that:

(1) The value of $253,025,790.00 for... the Power Company’s property... is not in excess of said property’s fair market value as of January 1, 1980.
(2) The Tax Assessor and Collector and the Board... assessed and equalized, respectively, the taxable property within the boundaries of the School District for the year 1980 at its fair market value as of January 1, 1980.
(3) On August 26, 1980, the Board... completed its inspection, hearings, examination, correction and equalization of values of all properties on the assessment lists or books... comprising the 1980 tax rolls, and approved same and finally adjourned.
(4) The Power Company’s tender of its taxes for 1980 was not an equitable tender made in good faith.
(5) The Power Company failed to tender... the amount of taxes that it alleged, under its own theory, to be due and owing...
(6) The court duly heard and considered at the trial... all pleadings, evidence, stipulations, arguments of counsel, and prayers for relief including equitable relief, of the parties hereto; and the Court based its judgment and its findings of fact and conclusions of law upon all such elements, notwithstanding the interlocutory order sustaining the School District’s plea in abatement.
(7) On January 1, 1980, the Power Company owned the... property [at issue] located within the boundaries of the School District...
(8) The School District levied and assessed 1980 ad valorem taxes... of $2,533,481.68...
(9) The Power Company, after partial tender, is indebted to the School District for... $1,804,438.95.
(10) Attorney’s fees for the School District of $300,861.77, an amount equal to 15% of the total recovery for taxes, penalty and interest, are... reasonable...
(11) For work necessary to be performed if the Power Company appeals..., attorney’s fees for the School District of $100,-287.26, an amount equal to 5% of the total recovery for taxes, penalty, and interest, are... reasonable.
(12) The Power Company’s P.H. Robinson Electric Generating Plant, and Cooling Towers... is real estate...

In its conclusions of law, the trial court, in pertinent part, declared:

(1) Meetings of an independent school district board of equalization are not subject to Article 6252-17, Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat. Ann.
(2) Even if the enforcement provision of Section 3A of Article 6252-17, Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann., did apply... it would only apply to a failure to give sufficient notice of an intended meeting, and not to the failure to meet in open session.
(3) The meeting of the Board... on August 26, 1980, was an open meeting and would have ... complied with Article 6252-17... if said Act were applicable. ..
*306 (4) The certification of approval... involved no discretion or judgment. . ., and was purely a ministerial function.
(5) The School District complied with the requirements of Article 7244c, Tex.Rev.Civ.Stat.Ann.
(6) Delinquent taxes... of $1,804,438.95 for the year 1980 are justly due, owing and unpaid by the Power Company...
(7) The School District is entitled to receive from the Power Company the current 1981 taxes prorated up to and including the date of judgment. .. to be credited against... [HL&P’s] 1981 ad va-lorem tax liability...
(8) The School District is entitled to recover statutory interest... of 6% per an-num from February 1, 1981 until August 11, 1981.
(9) The School District is entitled to recover statutory penalty of 8% of the unpaid. .. taxes.
(10) The School District is entitled to recover $200,574.51 or ... 10%... as attorney’s fees together with statutory interest thereon from August 11, 1981.
(11) If the Power Company appeals. . .

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

CBS Outdoor, Inc. v. Larry E. Potter
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2013
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Texas Attorney General Reports, 2010
Oyster Creek Financial Corp. v. Richwood Investments II, Inc.
176 S.W.3d 307 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2004)
Willis v. Donnelly
118 S.W.3d 10 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2003)
Ysleta Independent School District v. Monarrez
170 S.W.3d 122 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2002)
Maximino Carrillo Castro v. State of Texas
Court of Appeals of Texas, 2002
Home Insurance Co. v. Garcia
74 S.W.3d 52 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2002)
In Re the Marriage of Parker
997 S.W.2d 833 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1999)
Opinion No.
Texas Attorney General Reports, 1999
Purina Mills, Inc. v. Odell
948 S.W.2d 927 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1997)
Amoco Production Co. v. Smith
946 S.W.2d 162 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1997)
Crouch v. Tenneco, Inc.
853 S.W.2d 643 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1993)
Fletcher v. Blair
843 S.W.2d 601 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1992)
Houston Lighting & Power Co. v. Dickinson Independent School District
794 S.W.2d 402 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1990)
Pullman v. Brill, Brooks, Powell & Yount
766 S.W.2d 527 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1988)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
641 S.W.2d 302, 1982 Tex. App. LEXIS 5011, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/houston-lighting-power-co-v-dickinson-independent-school-district-texapp-1982.