98-1340

Property Tax/Locally Assessed

Signed 5/14/99

 

BEFORE THE UTAH STATE TAX COMMISSION

____________________________________

SHIRLENE R. PIERCE, ) ORDER

:

Petitioner, : Appeal No. 98-1340

: Parcel No. K-27-2-annex, KC-8-1, K-7-9

v. :

: Tax Type: Property Tax/Locally Assessed

BOARD OF EQUALIZATION OF )

KANE COUNTY, : Tax Year: 1998

UTAH, )

: Judge: Hendrickson

Respondent. :

_____________________________________

Presiding:

Pam Hendrickson, presiding

Appearances:

For Petitioner: Shirlene Pierce, appeared by phone

For Respondent: Richard Swapp

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

This matter came before the Commission for an Initial Hearing pursuant to the provisions of Utah Code Ann. §59-1-502.5, on April 21, 1999.

KC-8-1: Petitioner objected to the classification of this parcel as non-primary instead of agricultural. County records show that this property has been classified as non-primary for years and although the use of the property has not changed its highest and best use is residential. Additionally, the subject property is located within city limits and has access to all city amenities, services and utilities.

Petitioner presented a comparable of property outside the city limits (parcel 3-6-20-1) that does not enjoy city amenities, services and utilities. Moreover, parcel 3-6-20-1 is landlocked, it has severe limitations presented by its elevation, and a portion of the land is under Kanab Creek. The Commission does not consider this parcel as reasonably comparable to the subject property. Petitioner also presented as a comparable property parcel KC-7-7. Unlike the subject property, this parcel fronts onto Highway 89. Also, the assessor erred in assessing KC-7-7 by misclassifying the property, and misallocating the primary residential and secondary residential portions. This error has been corrected on the assessor's records and will be valued correctly for the 1999 tax year.

Other comparable sales presented into evidence by Respondent support the assessed value determined by the County. Therefore, the Commission upholds the assessment of $32,050.

KC-7-9: Petitioner also argues that this parcel should be valued as agricultural property like a nearby property, parcel 3-6-20-1. For the reasons presented above, the Commission does not consider parcel 3-6-20-1 to be comparable to the subject property. All comparables support the assessed value determined by Respondent. Therefore, the Commission upholds the assessment of $18,740.

K-27-2-Annex: Petitioner argued that this property should be valued the same as adjoining property that belongs to her sister-in-law. However, the land classification allocation is different for these two parcels of land. One acre of the subject property is classified as primary residential (entitled to the residential exemption), valued at $18,000. The remaining 3.39 acres is valued at $20,340. The Commission upholds the assessed value of $38,340.

APPLICABLE LAW

Petitioner has the burden to establish that the market value of the subject property is other than that as determined by Respondent. Utah Admin. R. R861-1A-7(G). To prevail in a real property tax dispute, the Petitioner must (1) demonstrate that the County's original assessment contained error, and (2) provide the Commission with a sound evidentiary basis for reducing the original valuation to the amount proposed by Petitioner. Nelson V. Bd. Of Equalization of Salt Lake County, 943 P.2d 1354 (Utah 1997).

DECISION AND ORDER

The Commission finds for the Respondent as follows:

Original Value Adjusted Value Value determined by Commission

KC-8-1 $42,730 $32,050 $32,050

K-7-9 24,985 18,740 18,740

K-27-2-Annex 38,340 38,340 38,340

This decision does not limit a party's right to a Formal Hearing. However, this Decision and Order will become the Final Decision and Order of the Commission unless any party to this case files a written request within thirty (30) days of the date of this decision to proceed to a Formal Hearing. Such a request shall be mailed to the address listed below and must include the Petitioner's name, address, and appeal number:

Utah State Tax Commission

Appeals Division

210 North 1950 West

Salt Lake City, Utah 84134

Failure to request a Formal Hearing will preclude any further appeal rights in this matter.

DATED this 14TH day of May, 1999.

____________________________________

Pam Hendrickson

Commissioner

BY ORDER OF THE UTAH STATE TAX COMMISSION.

The Commission has reviewed this case and the undersigned concur in this decision.

DATED this 14th day of May, 1999.

Richard B. McKeown R. Bruce Johnson

Chairman Commissioner

^^