Phillips v. Deschutes County Assessor

Oregon Tax Court·Decided January 23, 2018·No. TC-MD 160344R·Unpublished

Opinion

IN THE OREGON TAX COURT

MAGISTRATE DIVISION

Property Tax

CHAD E. PHILLIPS, )

)

Plaintiff, ) TC-MD 160344R )

v. )

)

DESCHUTES COUNTY ASSESSOR, )

)

Defendant. ) FINAL DECISION1

Plaintiff appealed the disqualification of property identified as Account 154887 (subject property) from nonexclusive farm use zone farmland (non-EFU) special assessment for the 2016-17 tax year. A telephonic trial was held on April 6, 2017. Kyle Schmid, of Schmid Malone Buchanan LLC, appeared on behalf of Plaintiff. Chad Phillips (Phillips), Eric Sexton (Sexton), and Monte Clouston (Clouston) testified on behalf of Plaintiff. Sexton appeared and testified on behalf of Defendant. Plaintiff’s Exhibits 1 to 8 were admitted into evidence without objection. Defendant’s Exhibits A through E were admitted into evidence, without objection, except for any hearsay statements of Aviv Hadar which were not admitted.

I. STATEMENT OF FACTS

The subject property is 7.50 acres, zoned Multiple Use Agriculture, and located in the Winston Ranch neighborhood in Deschutes County. (Ptf’s Ex 1.) Prior to the 2016-17 tax year, 6.50 acres of the subject property was specially assessed as non-EFU farm deferral. /// ///

1 This Final Decision incorporates the court’s Decision, entered January 5, 2018, with one change. The word “filed” has been corrected to “field” on page 5. The court did not receive a statement of costs and disbursements within 14 days after its Decision was entered. See Tax Court Rule–Magistrate Division (TCR–MD) 16 C(1).

FINAL DECISION TC-MD 160344R 1

Sexton testified that he is a residential property appraiser for Defendant. Sexton testified that in March or April 2016, he did an inspection of the subject property and did not observe obvious signs of farm use. He testified that he did not make any notes of the inspection.

On March 31, 2016, Defendant mailed Plaintiff a letter and questionnaire requesting information about the subject property’s farm use. (Def’s Ex B at 2.) Sexton testified that the letter was addressed to the last address of taxpayer known to the Assessor: 309 Wisconsin Ave., Whitefish, MT 59937 (Wisconsin Ave). The letter states “In the questionnaire I am asking you for your gross income information from your farm use for 2013 and 2014.” Id. The letter also states:

“To supplement the questionnaire, documentation such as copies of Schedule F forms, sale receipts, lease agreements, or any income information must be included to support the gross income claims. * * * If you are submitting a Schedule F form as supporting documentation that contains reported gross income, please clarify how that income was generated.”

(emphasis in original.)

The questionnaire included columns for the 2014 and 2015 tax years only. (Def’s Ex B at 3-4) Sexton testified that the letter had the wrong years but the questionnaire was correct. The letter stated the deadline for response was May 18, 2016. (Def’s Ex B at 2.) On May 2, 2016, Defendant sent a letter to Plaintiff explaining that the County had not received the completed income questionnaire and warning that “[f]ailure to return the questionnaire may result in disqualification from the Non-Exclusive Farm Use Deferral program under ORS 308A.116(1)(c).” (Def’s Ex B at 5.) The letter demanded a response by May 18, 2016.

Sexton testified that the March 31, 2016, and May 2, 2016, letters were not in strict compliance with the time limits contained in OAR 150-308-1050(4)(a), but, Defendant thought that the amount of time given for a response from Plaintiff was reasonable under the

FINAL DECISION TC-MD 160344R 2 circumstances. Sexton testified that neither of the letters was returned as undeliverable by the U.S. Postal Service and that Defendant did not receive a response from Plaintiff by May 27, 2017.

On May 27, 2016, Defendant mailed Plaintiff a “show cause” letter stating its intention to disqualify the subject property from Non-Farm EFU if the requested information was not provided within 30 days. (Def’s Ex B at 6.) The letter states “notice is given that the above- mentioned property has failed to provide the requested information: -Proof the land was and has been used for farm use [and] -Sufficient gross income information for 3 out of 5 years.” The May 27, 2016, letter was returned to Defendant by the U.S. Postal Service with a yellow sticker stating: “RETURN TO SENDER” and included a new address of 165 Vista Dr., Whitefish, MT 59937-7832 (Vista address). (Def’s Ex B at 8.)

On June 28, 2016, Defendant mailed Plaintiff letters to the Wisconsin Ave, Vista address, and to the subject property stating the property has been disqualified from non-farm EFU for the following reason:

“Currently farmland is lying idle or is no longer in a qualifying use and has been disqualified from the following program:

 Non-Exclusive Farm Use, ORS 308A.116(1)(c); Removal of the special assessment by the assessor upon the discovery that the land is no longer in farm use for failure to meet the income requirements under ORS 308A.071 or is no longer in farm use.”

(Def’s Ex B at 9.)

The June 28, 2016 letter provides additional tax information including: summaries of ORS 308A.706(1)(d) and ORS 308A.724; the dollar amount of potential additional taxes due to the disqualification; and appeal rights to the Oregon Tax Court. (Def’s Ex B at 9 -11.) The letter mailed to the subject property was returned by the U.S. Postal Service as undeliverable and “unable to forward.” (Def’s Ex B at 15.)

FINAL DECISION TC-MD 160344R 3

On August 26, 2016, Plaintiff sent an email to CPA Marija Berney asking her to “send Eric Sexton of Deschutes County the past Schedule F’s of the property.” (Def’s Ex C at 3.) On August 29, 2016, Ms. Berney sent an email to Sexton including copies of Plaintiff’s Schedule F for the 2009 through 2015 tax years. (Def’s Ex C at 5-11.) Plaintiff’s Schedule F for the 2009 through 2015 tax years only reported income under the category of “other income.” (Id.) On August 30, 2016, Defendant sent an email to Ms. Berney asking for clarification of the “other income.” (Def’s Ex C at 12) Ms. Berney replied the next day “To my knowledge this is income from allowing others to use land as pasture for their grazing animals.”

On September 2, 2016, Defendant sent an email to Plaintiff asking for information on the farm use of the property in 2016. (Def’s Ex C at 20.) Plaintiff replied for 2016 it was pasturing “horses eating the Hay/grass.” (Id.) The reply also states for 2012 through 2015 it was pasturing sheep, 2011 and 2012 it was horses and 2009 and 2010 it was hay production. (Id.) On August 31, 2016, Plaintiff signed the completed questionnaire and reported Hay income in 2014 in the amount of $3,900 and for 2015 income in the amount of $4,160. (Def’s Ex C at 23.) The form also states that a tenant, Aviv Hadar, was using the property for sheep in 2014 and 2015. (Id.)

On August 31, 2016, Sexton performed a site inspection of the subject property and documented his observations on a “Farm Use Review” form. (Def’s Ex C at 13.) Sexton noted on the form “No farm use observed. Irrigated pasture, green, numerous weed growing. Did not appear to have been recently grazed or cut for orchard grass/hay.” (Id.) He noted no observations of livestock or animals and the only crop seen was grass. (Id.) Sexton took pictures of the property showing an empty field. (Id. at 14-16.) On September 2, 2016, Defendant mailed Plaintiff a letter which reaffirmed the June 28, 2016, disqualification and included in the letter was a copy of the official notice of the disqualification. (Def’s Ex C at 26.)

FINAL DECISION TC-MD 160344R 4

On December 7, 2016, Plaintiff sent an email to Defendant stating the income from subject property was for leasing the field for either raising sheep or horses and prior to 2014 was for hay production. (Def’s Ex C at 36.)

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Phillips v. Deschutes County Assessor, (Or. Super. Ct. 2018).

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