Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

840 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Bonorable j’4gar Hutohlnr county At toraey Bunt Count7 Or*anrlllr, Tera8 Oplaloa lo. O-6978 Dear Sir: r period or redomptloa It agpears that under lcla 73kSb ~the City of oonvay thl8 property at er for er. mount less tiar. 03 tLAsy secure 8 written -The ,uastloo we went anawerad by _ your _ de- pnrtzent is’ whc;tha:, or not ths prooeduro outlined in the preoedlng pora,-.-s?h Is velld.” :‘.e assune from your letter that the six aonths parlod after the two year redsz$.im period Las hlS0 expired. Ye Bonorabls ii4gar Butohlaa - ?sgs .2 8180 note that the judgcleat or the oourt 4rorro4 a o li- judged ralua of the property. hotion 5 or Art. 7365b, v. A. c. s., es meaded, provides as Sollaa: Yieo.Up o nth etrial 5. or lald carlao the Court ahall hoar o~l4enoo upon the raaaoaabla fair value or the propmrtf, an4 shall inoorporak in its judgmnt a finding of the raaaoaabla fair valua thoraOr, in bulk or la paroala, llthor or both, as the Court may doom propor, whiah raaaoaabla ralr talus so found bJ- the Court la hanaftar lometlmaa atyl.4 ‘a4ju4g.4 value, rhlab ‘abjudgad valua’ ahall bo the ralur as ,of the 4ata of tha trial ~4 shall not aaoaaaarily br thr ralur at the tlata thr aaaoameat ot thr taxoa was 101340;prorldrd, that thr burdaa OS proof ahall br on the omar or owaora or luah proprrty in latabllahlog tha ‘fair talus* or ldjudgrd nlua aa prorid lg thla laotioa.m It h&a born ho14 that la tha lbaonoa of a showing or pra ~4108, tha raw8 on the gmrt or the oourt to rat8bll8h M “a4 3udgod valU8” would not oparrtr to invali4at~ the jUd& meat. In tha oaaa of Buraoa 7. Clt Of SllvrrtOn, 138 S. B. (24) 921, la aa opinion written bl f uatloa Follay, tha Amsrlllo Court or Clvll -Appaala stat04 as roiiowat wFurtharmore, them la no showlag that thr oourt wa s~requeated b yth aappdlaat to ldjudgr the talus of the property. Thr trial oourt no doubt would hava oox~pllo4 with luoh a roquaat ha4 it bsma ma4a. No praJu4loa having bsra ahown by thr oourta om&lfln in this respeot thr 8aalgnmaat la ovar- . Tz~a rule of lzw was agafr? stated by the ssue court in the oase OS Love v. Spur Iadependont Sohool Dlatrlot, 143 s . :: . (2d) 793, as roilows: “The defendant oo~~pls~s OS the iellure of the acurt t; :lnti ani announce in hls judgz,eat the reascneble ‘fair velue’ o? the progerty on whloh taxes were due for ths grars 1935 and all prior gears as required by artlolo 73LSb, srotlon 5. The d lfendent 414 not appear in the t rlal oourt, did not sttaok the recessed value of the property, did not furnish a statecent 0r faota. nor does he contend in this , Honorablo iidgar I?uto:.las- Pago 3 oourt that his property was not raaessad at a ‘fair vrnlua'. The statute providesthat tha burden of proof shall bo on tha ownar ot delinquent propa.-ty to ea- tablish the *fair v8lua* as provl404 thoreln. *In Burson v. City of Sllvertoa, Tax. Clv. App., 138 Y. W. (2d) 921, this oourt in an oplnloa by Ar8oolrte Just100 yollay 4atomlaa4 this question la prlaolpla sgainat tha 4orrn4ant~a oontaatloa.m Saotlon 9 of Artlola 7345b, V. A. 0. S., raada in part as rollowa: 'See. 9. If the property be 8014 to anr taxing unit rhloh la a party to tha judgamnt under 4aor80 0r oourt in said lult , tha tit10 to 8814 property shall bo bid in ead ho14 by the taring unit purohas- lag same for tha uaa aa beadlt of ltaalf an4 sl.1 othar taring units whlah are artier to tha suit an4 whioh hara barn adju48o4 ! n said suit to ham tax liens against auab proparty, pro rat* an4 In proportion to tbo amount of the tax llraa la favor of sald rr6Peotlvo taxing units 88latabllaha4 by the judgr&ent la lald suit, sad ooata an4 lxprnsea shall not be payablr until sals by luoh taxing unit so purohasing s-8, snd luah property ahsll not be sold by tha kxlag Ualt purohaalag a8ma iOr lass than the adjude. vslua UmraOf or tha amount Of tha judgmmta against tha property in aai4 l ult, uhloh- ever la lower, without tkia written uonaoat of all taxing units whloh in an14 judgment have barn found to have tax liens a.cainrt such property; 8nd when sr;ch property 1s scld by ths taxing unit gurohaslng sane, the prooeedE thereof shall be reoelved by it for aocount of itself and all other said taxing unite edjuGged in ?a12 suit to have a tax lien aga:nst such property, and after paying all oosta and ex?enees, ahall be distributed anong such taxing units pro rata an3 lfi proportion to the h.KCJEt Of their tax liens against suet‘. property as eotrbllshed in said judgcsnt. ;onsent in behalf or the State of Texas under this Seotion of this Aot my be Given by the County Tax Collector of t&e oouaty in whloh the property 1s looated. “Frovided thr:t :I sale has not been fcade by such ;urcheslc,< texing, unit before sir r.onths after thd Honor8blr idgsr Hutohlnr - i'ago 4 re4OmptiOa pariod pr0vl404 la Saotion 12 hereor haa rrplrrd, it 8hall thereartrr k the duty of the shuirr upon writton rwwrt rr084 mf taxln(I unit who ha8 obtain.4 a jud@mnt in 8814 rult, lo 8811 8814 prOp8?tr 8t pub110 OUtOry to th8 h@h.rt bi668r rOr o88h 8t tb0 9rlaOlp81 8ntr8aO8 Of th0 oOwhOU88 ill thr OOUatJ rb8r8ilJ th8 lad 1i88, 8ft8r &iVillg nOti Or a818 ia th8 MDII82 nOW JW88Orib8d iOr 8818 Or r881 8Stat8 UIId8r 8IOOUtiOIh . . .- n8 sUp1-8 court Of h-8 in th8 0880 Oi Littl8 V, Donnir 187 5. W. (2d) 76, h8ld thnt th18 8WtUtO do.8 not authorire th8 8kt8 t0 8811 pl’Op8rty 8t 8 We prit8te l81,. &O flOt int8ra8t the holding 8ad n88Onlag Oi th8 COlUt ia that 088@ to 60 80 r8r 88 t0 peohlblt 8 pPiTat@ a18 by 8 Oitf rhloh h88 pUFOha886 PXVpUty at 8 t8X fOreOlO8lUe 8810. OQ~iOa HO. O-5072 Or th18 68partnunt ooatoia8 th8 rOllOWfJIg 18IIgU8gO: *s8OtiOn 9 Or Artia8 7345b 8UthOrlZ88 both priV8t8 an4 pub110 881e8, and 8 private 8ale my b8 m848 rlthrr berorr o r lit8p thr rrdraptloa period. ffow8voc, the t8xlng unit whlob purohasrd the prop8rty lh8j not 8.11 th8 &pY tOr 108a ‘*hali thS 8djUd@ V81U8 thOr8Ot Or th8 =0'S& Of th8 Judgmemts 8g8fn8t th. proprty in whlohoru th8 8Uit, 18 lOwar, without th8 Written OOKl8elltOr all the Other taxing Ullit8 wh.ioh in tk8 judgnant hare been found to h8vO bx lien8 agalrist 8UOh Qr0JWt.y.” In our Opinion Xo. O-5698, tii8 departmmt ruled that a school &lstrlot oould z&ice a primta sale rour yeerr, art.3r tks bX rOreOlO8UrO SE&e. The fOl1owir.g 18 the holalng oon- tslned therain: "Se do not Om8tEl8 tha quotsd portion Or Seotlon 9 a8 making a sh:erlWs sale the oaly 8ale metiiod evalleble 8ubsequsnt to the pa8aage Of the 81x uonth8 artsr the rrdeqtlon period. The taxing units are 8till at llbsrty to dre0t 8 private rale under the written oonsent provision of ths first paragraph Of ~eotlon 9. he evident intent 0r the hgi8htUre in adding the 8harlff's sale provlalon va8 to 8ffOrd rellrr uhen taxicg units night be unable to agree with one another on a sale ?rloe. Therefore, al- thouyh ovir four yews heve peesei since the 846 ffOnOr8b18 Edgar Hutohinr - ‘ag8 5 fOrOOlO8Ur8 8818, 8 8h8rlw8 81318 113 UIUMO8888ry, 8Ild the PrOparty IMsjrb8 801d 8t prlVZt8 8818 Und8r the oon4ltlcm8 8.t out in the iire parsgrrph or Ssotlon 9.” IOU 8r8 8ooordin~~~ 84?1884 that under th8 raot8 #tat86 in YOU? 18ttU the oontuaplated priT8te 8810 would be luthorizrd. In a8 much 88 no 84judgrd talur m8 8Ot on thr proprrty, lts,prlratr 8810 rt 8ny prloa uadrr the emouat or the tax judgmrnt rould rrquirr thr wrlttm oonsant Ofm~h;~th8r tuing Unit8 rho Wore pUti* t0 th8 jUd@On,nt. Ili88iOnW8 COUrt tOI- the C0Ullt.y8lld the COUllt~ hX COllOOtO? for ths State 8re 8UthOrlZ86 to glrr ruoh oon8mt. \ /---, : ~,’ y Youra tug truly BBC:Jt