Roberts v. Board of Assessment Appeals

883 P.2d 588, 18 Brief Times Rptr. 1465, 1994 Colo. App. LEXIS 276, 1994 WL 484949
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 8, 1994
Docket93CA0757
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 883 P.2d 588 (Roberts v. Board of Assessment Appeals) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Colorado Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Roberts v. Board of Assessment Appeals, 883 P.2d 588, 18 Brief Times Rptr. 1465, 1994 Colo. App. LEXIS 276, 1994 WL 484949 (Colo. Ct. App. 1994).

Opinion

Opinion by

Judge METZGER.

In this property tax case, petitioner, Don V. Roberts, Trustee (taxpayer), appeals from the order of the Board of Assessment Appeals (BAA) which denied his challenge to the valuation placed on his commercial property by respondent, the Jefferson County Board of Equalization (County), for the 1992 tax year. We reverse the BAA’s order and remand the cause for further proceedings.

The issue in this appeal is the appropriate construction of § 39-l-104(ll)(b)(I), C.R.S. (1993 Cum.Supp.), which sets forth various types of “unusual conditions” that may be considered in revaluing real property for tax years that intervene between scheduled revaluations under the biennial reassessment cycle.

In this case, following a de novo evidentia-ry hearing, the BAA upheld the $1,275,000 valuation of the subject property made by the County for the 1992 tax year; this was the same valuation the BAA had previously ordered for the 1991 tax year in an earlier proceeding. The BAA rejected taxpayer’s position that the 1992 valuation should be $255,000, ruling that taxpayer had “presented insufficient probative evidence or testimony” to prove that the County had improperly *590 valued the subject property for the 1992 tax year.

In reaching this ruling, however, the BAA refused to consider evidence presented by taxpayer concerning his purchase of the subject property, along with a separate, related parcel, for $800,000 in 1991. The BAA noted that the 1991 sale had occurred outside the normally applicable base period for 1992 property tax valuations. The BAA also rejected taxpayer’s argument that consideration of the 1991 sale was warranted under the “unusual conditions” provisions of § 39-1 — 104(ll)(b)(I)-

I.

A.

On appeal, taxpayer contends that the BAA improperly refused to consider his evidence concerning the 1991 sale of the subject property. He argues that the BAA made an erroneous legal conclusion that the sale did not qualify for consideration as an “unusual condition” under § 39 — 1—104(ll)(b)(I). We agree.

Because the 1991 and 1992 tax years are both included in the same biennial reassessment cycle, property tax valuations for each of these tax years normally should be determined with reference to the same applicable base period, which ended on June 30, 1990. See § 39-1-104(10.2), C.R.S. (1993 Cum. Supp.); see also Weingarten v. Board of Assessment Appeals, 876 P.2d 118 (Colo.App.1994).

However, § 39-l-104(ll)(b)(I) provides an exception to this normal base period requirement for property tax valuations in years, such as the 1992 tax year, that “intervene” between the biennial reassessments. Under this exception, certain matters affecting valuation that arise after the applicable base period has ended may also be considered in determining property tax valuations for these intervening tax years/ but only if these matters constitute “unusual conditions” as defined by that statute. See LaDuke v. CF & I Steel Corp., 785 P.2d 605 (Colo.1990); 24 Inc. v. Board of Equalization, 800 P.2d 1366 (Colo.App.1990).

Section 39-l-104(ll)(b)(I) defines the types of matters which qualify for consideration as such “unusual conditions” in two distinct provisions.

First, the statute sets forth a list of certain post-base period events that qualify as such “unusual conditions” based on the nature of the event, regardless of the degree of its effect on valuation. These events include “the ending of the economic life of an improvement with only salvage value remaining,” “any new regulations restricting or increasing the use of the land,” “any detrimental acts of nature,” or “any damage due to accident, vandalism, fire, or explosion.” See § 39 — 1—104(ll)(b)(I). Because this statutory list of qualifying circumstances is limited and exclusive, and not merely descriptive, any type of event not included in this list does not constitute this type of an “unusual condition.” See LaDuke v. CF & I Steel Corp., supra.

Following this statutory list, however, § 39-l-104(ll)(b)(I) further provides that:

On and after January 1, 1989, any other occurrence, condition, factor, act, or change which results in the actual value of the property as of June 30 of the preceding year being less than or greater than the correct level of value [¿a, the actual value of the property as of June 30 of the year preceding the first year of the reassessment cycle] by more than ten percent of the correct level of value shall also be an unusual condition for purposes of this paragraph (b). (emphasis added)

Thus, under the quoted ten percent variance provisions, effective beginning with the 1989 tax year and thereafter, any type of post-base period event, regardless of its nature, may also qualify as an “unusual condition” so long as it has an effect on valuation of more than ten percent in the year following the normally applicable base period. Specifically, as to 1992 tax year valuations, an “unusual condition” under the quoted statutory provisions includes anything that results in a variance of more than ten percent between the valuation of the property as of June 30, 1991, and the normal base period valuation as of June 30, 1990.

*591 Here, it is undisputed that the valuation reflected by the 1991 sale of the subject property meets the ten percent valuation variance threshold so as to allow consideration of this sale as this type of an “unusual condition.” Nevertheless, the BAA refused to consider this evidence, ruling that the quoted statutory provisions applied only to intervening year changes of more than ten percent in the valuation of all properties in an entire “neighborhood” of like properties. Thus, it held that these provisions were inapplicable to such changes involving only individual properties.

We reject this construction of the statute. Instead, we agree with taxpayer that the quoted ten percent variance provisions are applicable to changes involving individual properties, that the 1991 sale of the subject property qualifies as such an “unusual condition,” and that it therefore must be considered in valuing the subject property for the 1992 tax year.

In construing these statutory provisions, our primary task is to determine and give effect to the intent of the General Assembly. LaDuke v. CF & I Steel Corp., supra; see § 39 — 1—104(11)(a)(II), C.R.S. (1993 Cum.Supp.) (setting forth various principles declared to be the intent of the General Assembly in the provisions of § 39-1-104(ll)(b)).

It is undisputed by the BAA and the County on appeal that the statutory provisions enumerating “unusual conditions” in terms of the list of qualifying circumstances are applicable to individual properties.

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883 P.2d 588, 18 Brief Times Rptr. 1465, 1994 Colo. App. LEXIS 276, 1994 WL 484949, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/roberts-v-board-of-assessment-appeals-coloctapp-1994.