INDIANA STATE BOARD OF TAX COM'RS v. Pappas

302 N.E.2d 858
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 30, 1973
Docket2-972A55
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 302 N.E.2d 858 (INDIANA STATE BOARD OF TAX COM'RS v. Pappas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
INDIANA STATE BOARD OF TAX COM'RS v. Pappas, 302 N.E.2d 858 (Ind. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

302 N.E.2d 858 (1973)

INDIANA STATE BOARD OF TAX COMMISSIONERS, Joseph D. Geeslin, Chairman, Defendant-Appellant,
v.
Peter A. PAPPAS and Gertrude R. Pappas, Plaintiffs-Appellees.

No. 2-972A55.

Court of Appeals of Indiana, Third District.

October 30, 1973.

*859 Theodore L. Sendak, Atty. Gen., Merle B. Rose, Deputy Atty. Gen., Indianapolis, for defendant-appellant.

Peter A. Pappas, pro se.

SHARP, Judge.

This case is concerned with the tax assessment of the Appellees' residence located in the Town of Meridian Hills effective March 1, 1969. The Township Assessor fixed said assessment at a total of $16,210.00 (representing one third of true cash value). Thereafter Appellees petitioned the Marion County Board of Review to reduce said assessment and said Board of Review fixed said assessment at $14,780.00. Thereafter on April 20, 1970 Appellees filed a petition to the Indiana State Board of Tax Commissioners for review of assessment. After hearing the Appellant Board fixed said assessment at $14,780.00 on November 9, 1970. On November 13, 1970 Appellees filed what they denominated "Appeal from Final Determination of the State Board of Tax Commissioners" in the trial court. Issues were closed by an answer in denial by Appellant. In addition the Appellant asserted in its answer:

"In response to Plaintiffs' prayer for relief Defendants would say that said prayer asks for relief in excess of the power of the Court to grant in that pursuant to Burns § 64-1004 [IC 1971, 6-1-31-4] this Court can, upon a determination adverse to Defendants, only remand this case to the State Board of Tax Commissioners for further proceedings in accordance with law."

The Appellant Board filed a "Transcript of Proceedings" and the trial court heard additional evidence after which the trial court entered the following findings and conclusions:

"FINDINGS OF FACT
1. The Plaintiffs, Peter A. and Gertrude R. Pappas are owners of certain real property in the County of Marion, State of Indiana, and more particularly described as follows:
`Lots 16 and 17 in Stout's Meridian Hills Addition, an Addition to the City of Indianapolis, now in the Town of Meridian Hills, Marion County, Indiana, as per plat thereof, recorded in Plat Book 24, Page 345, in the office of the Recorder of Marion County, Indiana.'
2. The Defendant, State Board of Tax Commissioners, is an agency of the State of Indiana with the duty among other things, of hearing appeals by property owners from final determinations by the county boards of review.
3. The Plaintiffs appealed from the Marion County Board of Review requesting that the State Board of Tax Commissioners review the assessed valuation of its property as determined by said Board of Review.
4. The Marion County Board determined that Plaintiffs' land should be assessed at $3,500.00 and its improvements at $11,280.00. This determination represented a reduction over that determined by the township assessor.
5. The State Board of Tax Commissioners on review of Plaintiffs' assessed valuation determined that said valuation as determined by the Marion County Board of Review was substantially correct and therefore should be affirmed.
6. Clarence L. Crow, Hearing Officer for State Board of Tax Commission, after meeting with and hearing arguments of Plaintiffs, personally viewing the property of the Plaintiffs and the neighborhood in which Plaintiffs' property is located, recommended that the Determination of the Marion County Board of Review be sustained. By its order of November 9, 1970, the State Board of Tax Commissioners accepted said recommendation.
7. Within thirty (30) days from the date of the State Board of Tax Commissioners' *860 final determination, the Plaintiffs filed a timely appeal to the Superior Court No. 6 of Marion County requesting a judicial review of said Board's determination.
8. At all times herein concerned, Regulation No. 17, the Indiana Real Property Appraisal Manual was in effect and was the regulation duly adopted by the State Board of Tax Commissioners as the standard to be applied state-wide in valuing real property for ad valorem property taxes.
9. Said Regulation was the standard applied by the State Board of Tax Commissioners in reviewing the correctness of Plaintiffs' assessment, and that using that standard the house located on Plaintiffs' property is a class `B' residential property, and therefore assessed value of the improvements based on Regulation No. 17 of the Indiana Real Property Appraisal Manual is $6,835.00.
10. Clarence L. Crow testified that classification was a judgment factor and Plaintiffs' home could be a Class `B' house. The grade and CDU factor are judgment factors involved in valuing an improvement. Russell B. Hottle [Hottel] testified that fair market value of land and house was $30,000.00, and Louis Cohen testified using Regulation No. 17 that the assessed value of land and improvements was approximately $10,000.00.
11. Plaintiffs presented sufficient evidence which tended to show that Regulation No. 17 had been improperly applied to Plaintiffs' property.
CONCLUSIONS OF LAW
1. Pursuant to Burns' 64-1004, the Court finds that it has jurisdiction over the subject matter and the persons herein involved.
2. The standard used by the State Board of Tax Commissioners in assessing and reviewing Plaintiffs' real property on appeal was duly adopted and promulgated Regulation No. 17, the Indiana Real Property Appraisal Manual, but the Board should have used grade `B' classification as well as fair market value in determining value of Plaintiffs' improvements.
3. The Court finds upon weighing the evidence heard against the administrative standard employed that the action of the State Board of Tax Commissioners was arbitrary, capricious or unlawful.
4. The Court further finds that the assessed value of Plaintiffs' land and improvements is $10,335.00.
5. The law is with the Plaintiffs."

The Appellant asserts error that the trial court admitted evidence at the trial which was not admitted before the Board and relies on Uhlir v. Ritz, 255 Ind. 342, 264 N.E.2d 312 (1970) where Justice Hunter, speaking for our Supreme Court, said:

"To assure that the administrative process does not exceed the bounds of justice the courts have been required to exercise a certain review power. But, because we must be ever aware that we operate within a tri-partite system of government, courts must carefully police the scope of their review so that they do not intrude into the area of valid administrative discretion. While it does not apply in bail bond license cases (Department of Insurance of Indiana v. Hendrickson (1964), 245 Ind. 117, 196 N.E.2d 574), the Administrative Adjudication and Court Review Act, Ind. Ann. Stat. § 64-3001 et seq. (1961 Repl., 1970 Supp.), passed in part to provide a method of court review of certain other administrative actions, shows the legislature's awareness of our proper field of activity.

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

Related

LeSea Broadcasting Corp. v. State Board of Tax Commissioners
525 N.E.2d 637 (Indiana Tax Court, 1988)
Underwood v. State
414 N.E.2d 588 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1981)
State Board of Tax Commissioners v. Farmers Cooperative Co.
370 N.E.2d 389 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1977)
Johnson v. State
338 N.E.2d 680 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1975)
Rhim v. State
337 N.E.2d 560 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1975)
Indiana State Board of Tax Commissioners v. Pappas
302 N.E.2d 858 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1973)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
302 N.E.2d 858, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/indiana-state-board-of-tax-comrs-v-pappas-indctapp-1973.