Lathrop v. Town of Monkton

91 A.3d 378, 195 Vt. 564, 2014 Vt. 9
CourtSupreme Court of Vermont
DecidedJanuary 24, 2014
DocketNos. 13-026, 13-032 & 13-033
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 91 A.3d 378 (Lathrop v. Town of Monkton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Vermont primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lathrop v. Town of Monkton, 91 A.3d 378, 195 Vt. 564, 2014 Vt. 9 (Vt. 2014).

Opinion

Crawford, J.

¶ 1. The Town of Monkton brings this consolidated appeal from decisions of the state appraiser in three property tax cases challenging the Town’s 2011 assessment. The state appraiser ruled that the Town had treated taxpayers inequitably by adding additional “home-site values” to undeveloped parcels that are subject to a permitted and recorded subdivision plan. The Town does not add this additional element of appraised value to other undeveloped parcels that may be eligible for subdivision without a permit due to their history or configuration. The Town argues that it acted fairly in applying different valuation methods to properties with different characteristics. From the Town’s perspective, the appraised value of a parcel of land with a permit for more than one home should reflect this addition.1 development value, and land that could be subdivided but is not the subject of a permit is not similarly situated for purposes of tax appraisal. We agree and revérse.

¶ 2. At issue is the manner in which the Town assesses land that has the potential for subdivision and further development. At the time relevant to this appeal, a property owner in Monkton could legally subdivide and convey a portion of his or her property if that property was (1) naturally divided by a road; (2) contained multiple contiguous lots created by deed prior to the introduction of zoning in 1978; or (3) had a subdivision permit from the Town’s Development Review Board (DRB). Generally, the first two categories of property could be divided and conveyed without a subdivision permit obtained from the DRB.

¶ 3. For property tax purposes, property in the first two categories was assessed as having only one house site, with the [567]*567remainder of the land valued according to the Monkton land schedule. However, if a property owner obtained a DRB permit to subdivide his or her property into multiple residential lots, and recorded a subdivision survey plat with the town clerk, the Town assigned a house site value of $51,500 to each addition.1 permitted lot. Each potential house site was deemed to be two acres. The Town assessed the remaining undeveloped acreage according to the land schedule.

¶ 4. In the three appeals consolidated here, taxpayers applied for and received approval from the Monkton DRB to subdivide their parcels into two or more residential lots, and recorded the subdivision plans for the approved developments in the town records. The Town assessed these parcels as containing multiple two-acre house sites and valued the remainder of the land according to the town land schedule. Each addition.1 two-acre house site added $51,500 to the parcel’s total assessed value, with some variation to reflect the quality of each lot.1

¶ 5. Taxpayers appealed their 2011 assessments to the Monkton Board of Civil Authority, which denied the appeals. Taxpayers then appealed to the state appraiser.

¶ 6. The state appraiser found that “[t]he Town assesses contiguous lots within parcels created prior to 1978, not created through the town’s zoning and [DRB] process with mylar on file, as only having one house site.” The appraiser further found that parcels containing contiguous lots created after 1978 through the Town’s DRB process were considered to have multiple house sites.2 The appraiser found that the Town’s distinction between the two types of parcels was “arbitrary” and that the Town was “not treating all properties in Monkton fairly and equitably with other like properties.” He therefore removed the assessments for the addition.1 house sites in each case. The Town appeals the appraiser’s decision, arguing that the appraiser erred in determining that taxpayers were treated inequitably compared with other similarly situated taxpayers in Monkton.

[568]*568¶ 7. We review the state appraiser’s findings of fact for clear error. Barnett v. Town of Wolcott, 2009 VT 32, ¶ 5, 185 Vt. 627, 970 A.2d 1281 (mem.). Our review of the appraiser’s legal conclusions is nondeferential and plenary. Id.

¶ 8. As a threshold matter, the Town asks us to reverse the appraiser’s decision in taxpayer Norris’s case because the appraiser failed to sanction Norris for his refusal to produce requested documents and records prior to the hearing. The administrative rule governing tax appeals states that parties to a property tax appeal “shall have reasonable rights to discover all documents and records that are relevant to the issues raised by the appeal,” and the appraiser “may enforce this rule by appropriate sanctions, including dismissal of the appeal.” Prop. Valuation and Rev. § 12, 1 Code of Vt. Rules 10 061 003-5, available at http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/codeofvtrules. Representing himself, taxpayer declined to provide the Town with any documents prior to the hearing on the grounds that those materials were all public records and were not required to be submitted in advance. This was an improper response to the Town’s discovery request. Whether the documents that a party intends to use at the hearing are public records is irrelevant under the rule, which clearly states that parties are obligated to disclose “all” relevant documents and records. Id. It would have been appropriate for the appraiser to enforce the Town’s right to discover the information upon which taxpayer intended to rely at trial through sanctions imposed on the noncompliant party.

¶ 9. However, we will not reverse the decision below on this basis. Discovery rulings are within the. broad discretion of the appraiser, and discretionary rulings will not be disturbed by this Court absent a showing that discretion was abused or entirely withheld. Record v. Kempe, 2007 VT 39, ¶ 9, 182 Vt. 17, 928 A.2d 1199. The appraiser declined to dismiss the appeal, finding that the discovery violation could be cured by giving the Town time to submit appropriate responses and comments after the hearing. The Town provides no evidence to show that it was denied such an opportunity.

¶ 10. We therefore proceed to the merits. The U.S. and Vermont Constitutions and Vermont statutes governing taxation of real and personal property require that taxes be uniformly assessed, so that no taxpayer pays more than his or her fair share [569]*569of the tax burden. Allen v. Town of W. Windsor, 2004 VT 51, ¶ 2, 177 Vt. 1, 852 A.2d 627. To that end, properties must be listed at fair market value. Id.; 32 V.S.A. § 3481(1). Fair market value is based on the highest and best use of the property. Zurn v. City of St. Albans, 2009 VT 85, ¶ 8, 186 Vt. 575, 980 A.2d 795 (mem.). The Town is not required to treat an undivided parcel as one economic unit for appraisal purposes if the highest and best use of the property is as subdivided lots. Barnett, 2009 VT 32, ¶ 11. The development potential of property is an appropriate factor to consider in fixing appraised values. Scott Constr., Inc. v. City of Newport Bd. of Civil Auth., 165 Vt. 232, 235, 683 A.2d 382, 383-84 (1996).

¶ 11. Taxpayers’ position, accepted by the state appraiser, is that the Town’s taxation scheme violates the Proportion.1 Contribution Clause of the Vermont Constitution and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S.

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Lathrop v. Monkton, Norris v. Town of Monkton
195 Vt. 564 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 2014)

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Bluebook (online)
91 A.3d 378, 195 Vt. 564, 2014 Vt. 9, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lathrop-v-town-of-monkton-vt-2014.