Konicek v. BOARD OF EQUALIZATION OF COLFAX

324 N.W.2d 815, 212 Neb. 648
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 8, 1982
Docket44269
StatusPublished

This text of 324 N.W.2d 815 (Konicek v. BOARD OF EQUALIZATION OF COLFAX) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Konicek v. BOARD OF EQUALIZATION OF COLFAX, 324 N.W.2d 815, 212 Neb. 648 (Neb. 1982).

Opinion

324 N.W.2d 815 (1982)
212 Neb. 648

Rudolph J. KONICEK, Appellee,
v.
BOARD OF EQUALIZATION OF COLFAX COUNTY, Nebraska, Appellant.

No. 44269.

Supreme Court of Nebraska.

October 8, 1982.

*816 L. J. Karel, Schuyler, for appellant.

Donn K. Bieber, Schuyler, for appellee.

Heard before KRIVOSHA, C. J., and BOSLAUGH, McCOWN, CLINTON, WHITE, HASTINGS, and CAPORALE, JJ.

PER CURIAM.

The plaintiff owns the southeast quarter of Section 3-19-3 in Colfax County, Nebraska. In 1978 the plaintiff's property was valued for tax purposes at $98,540 actual value. In 1979 the plaintiff filed a protest before the county board of equalization requesting that the assessed value of his property be reduced because the improvements on his land had not been valued proportionately with other property in the county. The county board increased the value of the plaintiff's property to $104,600. The value was subsequently increased by action of the State Board of Equalization to $115,500. The plaintiff appealed from the action of the county board of equalization to the District Court.

The District Court found that improved real estate had been assessed disproportionately with unimproved real estate throughout the county and that the property of the plaintiff should be valued at $80,074 for tax purposes before the increase made by the State Board of Equalization. The county has appealed.

The Constitution requires that "Taxes shall be levied by valuation uniformly and proportionately upon all tangible property and franchises . . . ." Neb.Const. art. VIII, § 1.

The record shows that for the purposes of taxation land and improvements were valued separately in Colfax County. Farmland was valued in accordance with the Nebraska Agricultural Land Valuation Manual promulgated by the office of the state Tax Commissioner. Improvements to land were valued in accordance with a separate manual promulgated by the office of the Tax Commissioner. The result was that farmland without improvements was valued at approximately 20 percent of actual value while improvements on farmland were valued at approximately actual value. When these values were combined to arrive at the valuation of improved farm real estate, improved farm real estate was assessed at a higher percentage of actual value than unimproved farm real estate.

The effect of the system of assessment used to value farm real estate was to create separate classifications of unimproved farmland and improved farmland with no correlation between the classifications. This method of assessment is not permissible under the constitutional requirement that all tangible property be valued uniformly and proportionately. Real property taxes may not be equalized by classifying property and then applying the same values to the same classifications of property. County of Gage v. State Board of Equalization & Assessment, 185 Neb. 749, 178 N.W.2d 759 (1970). The discrepancy was not the result of an error of judgment but was a deliberate and intentional discrimination systematically applied throughout the county.

*817 Although the evidence shows that the land of the plaintiff was not assessed in excess of its actual value, that does not prevent the plaintiff from obtaining relief. A landowner is entitled to have his property assessed uniformly and proportionately with other property, even though the result may be that it is assessed at less than actual value.

The principle involved was stated in Sioux City Bridge v. Dakota County, 260 U.S. 441, 446, 43 S.Ct. 190, 67 L.Ed. 340 (1923), as follows: "This Court holds that the right of the taxpayer whose property alone is taxed at 100 per cent. of its true value is to have his assessment reduced to the percentage of that value at which others are taxed even though this is a departure from the requirement of statute. The conclusion is based on the principle that where it is impossible to secure both the standards of the true value, and the uniformity and equality required by law, the latter requirement is to be preferred as the just and ultimate purpose of the law."

The judgment of the District Court is affirmed.

AFFIRMED.

CLINTON, Justice, dissenting.

I dissent from the majority opinion because the taxpayer has not carried his burden of proving: (1) That the value of his property has not been fairly and proportionately equalized with all other property, resulting in a discriminatory, unjust, and unfair assessment. Lexington Building Co., Inc. v. Board of Equalization, 186 Neb. 821, 187 N.W.2d 94 (1971). (2) That the methods used in the evaluation of real property for tax purposes result in discrimination when compared with other real and tangible property in general throughout the county. Lincoln Tel. & Tel. Co. v. County Board of Equalization, 209 Neb. 465, 308 N.W.2d 515 (1981).

In order to arrive at the conclusion that it reaches, the majority, as did the trial court, makes some factual assumptions that are not shown in the record. As the majority opinion shows, its conclusions are based solely upon the statement of the county assessor that improvements on real estate are valued at about market value and rural lands are valued below market value. The assessor also testified that land values are set proportionately to their actual value throughout the county and improvements both on farmland and city are valued proportionately and by the same methods. He also testified that improvements add to the value of farmland and that Mr. Konicek's land is valued in the same manner as any other farmland in the county and his improvements are valued according to the same formula as other like improvements in the county. The majority assumes that these facts without more establish disproportionate valuation generally.

I would reverse and remand with directions to reinstate the valuations set by the board of equalization.

The assessment year here involved is 1979, and the pertinent assessment date is January 1 of that year. Neb.Rev.Stat. § 77-1301 (Reissue 1981). Konicek introduced evidence of the valuations of three properties, his own 160 acres, an adjacent 240 acres in the same section, and an 80-acre tract also in the same section. For that year the county assessor determined the actual value of the Konicek 160 acres to be $98,540, assigning a value of $59,610 to the land and $38,930 to the improvements. Konicek filed a protest with the county board of equalization and at that time the board increased the land valuation to $65,-670. Later, apparently as a result of a countywide increase ordered by the State Board of Equalization, the value of the improvements was increased. That increase is not before us.

Konicek's summary of valuations shows that the assessor fixed the actual land valuation of the adjacent 240-acre tract (hereafter sometimes referred to as the Karel tract) at $72,910 and the improvements thereon at $22,475 for a total value of $95,-385 for the real estate.

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Related

Sioux City Bridge Co. v. Dakota County
260 U.S. 441 (Supreme Court, 1923)
Hastings Building Co. v. BOARD OF EQUAL. OF ADAMS CTY.
206 N.W.2d 338 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1973)
Lincoln Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. County Board of Equalization
308 N.W.2d 515 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1981)
Bumgarner v. County of Valley
303 N.W.2d 307 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1981)
County of Gage v. State Board of Equalization & Assessment
178 N.W.2d 759 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1970)
Newman v. County of Dawson
94 N.W.2d 47 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1959)
LEXINGTON BUILDING CO. v. Board of Equalization
187 N.W.2d 94 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1971)
Konicek v. Board of Equalization
324 N.W.2d 815 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1982)

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