Town of St. John v. State Board of Tax Commissioners

729 N.E.2d 242, 2000 Ind. Tax LEXIS 20, 2000 WL 695610
CourtIndiana Tax Court
DecidedMay 31, 2000
Docket49T10-9309-TA-70
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 729 N.E.2d 242 (Town of St. John v. State Board of Tax Commissioners) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Tax Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Town of St. John v. State Board of Tax Commissioners, 729 N.E.2d 242, 2000 Ind. Tax LEXIS 20, 2000 WL 695610 (Ind. Super. Ct. 2000).

Opinion

ORDER AND JUDGMENT ENTRY

FISHER, J.

Petitioners request that the Court order Respondent, the State Board of Tax Commissioners (State Board), to adopt and implement new real property assessment regulations by dates certain.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

The present litigation has spanned approximately seven years and to date has generated six separate published opinions, including two decisions by the Indiana Supreme Court. 1 The Court will not recite the entire history of this long-standing controversy. For an overview of this case’s procedural history, see State Board of Tax Commissioners v. Town of St. John, 702 N.E.2d 1034, 1035-36 (Ind.1998) (St. John V). In St. John V, the Indiana Supreme Court affirmed this Court’s determination in Town of St. John v. State Board of Tax Commissioners, 690 N.E.2d 370, 382 (Ind. Tax Ct.1997) (St. John III) 2 that the cost schedules used in the State Board’s real property assessment regulations violate the Property Taxation Clause of the Indiana Constitution. 3 See St. John V, 702 N.E.2d at 1043.

On April 23, 1999, this Court entered an Order requiring the State Board to implement a constitutional assessment system “as promptly as possible.” In its Order, the Court gave three reasons for its decision not to require the new regulations to be adopted and implemented by dates certain. First, the State Board indicated that its new regulations would be completed in the fall of 1999, a few months behind the statutory schedule. Second, the Court wanted the Executive Branch, particularly the State Board, to have discretion to implement the new assessment rules “in the most practical manner, so long as they are diligent and expeditious.” 4 Third, the Court stated its desire to take no action that would “preclude the General Assembly from enacting legislation necessary to ensure smooth and effective implementation of the new assessment rules, so long as implementation is in good faith and not dilatory.” However, the Court expressly reserved its right to set a date certain for implementation of a remedy.

On March 6, 2000, Petitioners, by counsel, filed a Motion for Court to Establish Prompt Date for Reassessment. Petitioners request that this Court set dates certain for both the adoption and implementation of constitutional assessment regulations. In addition, Petitioners ask the Court to require the State Board to submit periodic status reports on its progress. Petitioners also advise the Court to consider appointing an independent commissioner to prepare the new assessment regulations. Finally, Petition *245 ers’ motion asserts that the Court should order that the new regulations be based on objectively verifiable data and that a single definition of property wealth, applicable to all types of property, be adopted.

The State Board, by counsel, responded to Petitioners’ motion on March 22, 2000, with its Plan to Establish Date for Reassessment Rule. The State Board’s plan consists of two stages: (1) contracting with and receiving information from three entities; 5 and (2) receiving public comments on all the alternatives as they are developed into final regulations. The State Board proposes a period of 120 days for the completion of stage one (thirty days to contract with the three outside entities and another ninety days to receive their reports) and a period of six to eight months for completion of stage two. Therefore, the State Board envisions having finalized regulations within ten to twelve months. Once new, constitutional regulations are in place, the State Board estimates that the reassessment process will take an additional fifteen to twenty-four months. According to the State Board, “Time is needed for assessor training, updating of computer software and other equipment, and the actual gathering and tabulating of data.” 6 (Resp’t Plan to Establish Date at 8.)

The Court held a hearing on Petitioners’ motion and the State Board’s plan on April 28, 2000. Additional facts will be supplied as needed.

ANALYSIS, OPINION & ORDER

This Court has the inherent power to take steps necessary to enforce its own orders. See State ex. rel. Brubaker v. Pritchard, 236 Ind. 222, 138 N.E.2d 233, 235 (1956) (“The power of a court to enforce compliance with its orders and decrees duly entered is inherent. No statutory sanction is needed.”); Kaghann’s Korner, Inc. v. Brown & Sons Fuel Co., 706 N.E.2d 556, 564 (Ind.Ct.App.1999) (“[Cjourts of this state have long had power, both inherent and statutory, to entertain actions and issue orders to assist in the enforcement of their judgments”) (citing Bitner v. Hull, 695 N.E.2d 181, 183 (Ind.Ct.App.1998)). The parties do not dispute the Court’s authority to set specific dates for implementation of a remedy. The Court finds that it has the power to order remedial action to ensure that the State Board fully complies with the Court’s Order.

The Court finds it necessary to establish dates certain for adopting and implementing new, constitutional assessment regulations. The three reasons identified in the Court’s Order for not requiring new regulations by a date certain no longer apply. The State Board failed to complete its new regulations by the fall of 1999. Although the State Board began work on new regulations, its work was abruptly halted last December by order of Governor Frank O’Bannon. Beyond contacting a few entities and local assessors, the State Board has done little since the end of the 2000 legislative session to adopt and implement new regulations. (Hr’g Tr. at 50.) Thus, the Executive Branch, particularly the State Board, has not been “diligent and expeditious” in “creating and implementing” new regulations. It has been more than thirteen months since the Court ordered the State Board to implement constitutional assessment regulations “as soon as possible.” Further delay cannot be justified and will not be tolerated.

*246 The State Board has failed to comply with the Court’s Order. Therefore, the Court ORDERS the State Board to take the following actions within the time periods specified. First, the State Board shall take the necessary steps to have new, constitutional assessment regulations promulgated and in effect on or by June 1, 2001. See generally Ind.Code Ann. §§ 4-22-2-23

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Bluebook (online)
729 N.E.2d 242, 2000 Ind. Tax LEXIS 20, 2000 WL 695610, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/town-of-st-john-v-state-board-of-tax-commissioners-indtc-2000.