ORIGINAL IN THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO LUWANNA A. DELANEY, GREENE COUNTY AUDITOR Appellant Case No. 10-0899 Vs. RICHARD A. LEVIN, On Appeal of Right from the TAX COMMISSIONER OF OHIO Ohio Board of Tax Appeals And YSI, INCORPORATED Appellees MERIT BRIEF OF APPELLANT LUWANNA A. DELANEY, GREENE COUNTY AUDITOR Stephen K. Haller (#0009172) Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Elizabeth Ellis (#0074332) Assistant Prosecuting Attorney JUL 19 2010 Susan L. Goldie (#0018439) (COUNSEL OF RECORD) Assistant Prosecuting Attorney CLERK OF COURT 61 Greene Street, Suite 200 SUPREMECOURTOF'OHIO Xenia, OH 45385 (937) 562-5250 Fax No. (937) 562-5107 sgoldieC^a,co_greene.oh.us COUNSEL FOR APPELLANT LUWANNA A. DELANEY, GREENE COUNTY AUDITOR Richard Cordray (#0038034) Attorney General of Ohio (#0023141) (COUNSEL OF RECORD) Barton A. Hubbard E Assistant Attorney General LLtM UF ig019Ri SUPREMIE COidR [ OF OHIO 30 East Broad Street, 25tb Floor Columbus, OH 43215-3428 Telephone: (614) 466-5967 Facsimile: (614) 466-8226 barton.hubbaxd(cr^ohioattorneyp, e neral.gov COUNSEL FOR APPELLEE RICHARD A. LEVIN, TAX COMMISSIONER Thomas E. DeBrosse (#0010421) Thompson Hine, LLP 2000 Courthouse Plaza, N.E. 10 West Second Street Dayton, OH 45402 Telephone: (937) 443-3600 Facsimile: (937) 443-6635 tom.debrossekthompsonhine.com COUNSEL FOR APPELLEE YSI, INCORPORATED TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ......................................................... vii STATEMENT OF FACTS ............................................................ 1 ARGUMENT ................................................................................. 3 Proposition of Law No. I: The procedures deHneated in R.C. 5711.26 for redetermina- tions made by the Tax Commissioner, by excluding the County Auditor from participation in those reevaluations, violate the due process rights of the county delineated in Ohio Constitution Article I, Section 16 and the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution of the United States .............................................................................. 3 Proposition of Law No. Ii: The requirement imposed by the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals on the County Auditor in her Notice of Appeal to state with more specificity the claimed error of the Tax Commissioner or suffer dismissal violated the due process rights of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the federal Constitution and of the Ohio Constitution Article I, Section 16, where there is no access given to the specific basis upon which the Tax Commissioner bases his decision .......................................................... 8 Proposition of Law No. III: The Decision and Order issued by the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals on April 20, 2©10, which dismissed Appellant's appeal for failure to more particularly specify error was an abuse of discretion where more specificity was not available to her ............................... 9 Proposition of Law No. IV: The requirement imposed by the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals on the County Auditor to more particularly specify the basis of her appeal effectively eliminates iii her right to appeal the Final Assessment Certificate of Valuation by the Tax Commissioner granted to her by R.C. 5717.02 where the County Auditor is not privy to the specificity upon which the Tax Commissioner's decision was based ............................ 10 Proposition of Law No. V: The Final Assessment Certificate of Valuation of the Tax Commissioner from which the County Auditor sought to appeal constitutes a taking of the property of the people of Greene County without due process of law, in violation of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of the right of the people of Greene County to protect their property through their statutorily appointed spokesperson, the Greene County Auditor, under Article I, Section 16 of the Constitution of Ohio ............ 11 Proposition of Law No. Vi: The Decision and Order of the Board of Tax Appeals of April 20,2010 should be reversed, and this Court should Order its decision to be applied retroactively to all eases decided under these statutes where the counties, through their county auditors, were not permitted notice and opportunity to participate in all stages of personal property valuation for taxation thereof, because the procedure for review has been uncon- stitutional ..... ..... ... ...... ...... ... .. ................................... 12 CONCLUSION . .................................... 14 PROOF OF SERVICE ....... ..................................................... 15 APPENDIX ............................................................................. A-1 Notice of Appeal to Supreme Court of Ohio (May 15, 2010) .............................................................. A-1 iv County Return of Taxable Business Property for tax filing Year 2007 filed by YSI, Inc. on June 18, 2007 .................... A-13 Notice to Greene County Auditor from Ohio Department Of Taxation of Application by YSI Incorporated for Final Assessment for personal property tax return year 2007, dated August 3, 2009 ......................................................... A-29 Final Assessment Certificate of Valuation by the Ohio Department of Taxation for YSI hicorporated for personal property tax return year 2007 ......................... A-30 Greene County Auditor's record of receipt of Final Assessment Certificate of Valuation and calculation of refund to YSI, Inc . ................................................... A-32 Appellant Greene County Auditor's Notice of Appeal to the Ohio Board of Tax Appeals .............................. A-35 Tax Commissioner's Motion to Dismiss Appeal ............. A-41 Appellant's Memorandum Contra Tax Commissioner's Motion to Dismiss Appeal ........................................ A-45 Appellee YSI, Inc.'s Reply Brief ................................ A-49 Appellant's Corrective Reply Brief ............................. A-52 April 20,2010 Decision and Order of Board of Tax Appeals dismissing Appellant's Appeal .......................... A-54 State v. Bodyke, Supreme Court Case No. 2008-2502, 2010 WL 2219064 (Ohio), 2010-Ohio-2424 (June 3, 2010) ........................................................................ A-60 CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS; STATUTES Constitution of the United States, Fifth Amendment......... A-84 Constitution of the United States, Fourtheenth Amendment . ........................................................... A-84 v Ohio Constitution, Section I, Article 16 ..................... A-84 R.C. Chapter 5711 ................................................... A-85 R.C. 5717.02 ............................................................ A-102 R.C. 5717.04 ............................................................ A-103 vi TABLE OF AUTHORITIES CASES: Board of Regents of State College v. Roth, 408 U.S. 564, 92 S. Ct. 2701, 33 L.Ed.2d 548 (1972) .............................................. 6 Castle v. Mason, 91 Ohio St. 296, 110 N.E. 463 (1915) ............... 6 City of East Liverpool v. Columbiana County Budeet Commission, et al., 114 Ohio St.3d 133, 870 N.E.2d 705 (2007) ..................... 5,6 Columbus Education Association v. Archuleta, 29 Ohio App.3d 264, 505 N.E.2d 279 (10`h Dist. 1986) ................................... 6.10 DeWeese v. Zaino. 100 Ohio St.3d 324, 800 N.E. 2d 1 (2003) ...... 10,11 DiCenzo v. A-Best Products Co., Inc. 120 Ohio St.3d 149, 897 N.E.2d 132 (2008) ................................................................. 13 Goss v. Loyez, 419 U.S. 565, 95 S. Ct. 729,42 L.Ed.2d 725 ........ 6 (1975) Hocking Valley Ry. Co. v. Public Utilities Commission, 100 Ohio St.321, 126 N.E 397 (1919) ......................................... 12 Seltzer v. Cuyaho ag coun,ty Dept. of Human Services, 38 Ohio App.3d 121, 528 N.E.2d 573 (1987) ..................................... 12 Stanton, Pros. Atty. v. State Tax Commission, 114 Ohio St. 658, 151 N.E. 760 (1926) ..................................................... 12 State v. Bodyke, Supreme Court Case No. 2010-2424, 2010 WL 2219064 (June 3, 2010) ....................................... 7 State v. Thompson, 92 Ohio St.3d 584, 752 N.W.2d 276 (2001) ... 7 Voeller v. Neilston Warehouse Co., 136 Ohio St. 427, 26 N.E.2d 442 (1940) ............................................................................ 6,9 Zangerle v. Evatt, 139 Ohio St. 53, 41 N.E.2d 369 (1942) ............ 12 CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS; STATUTES: vii Constitution of the United States, Fifth Amendment ....... ........... 3,8,14 Constitution of the United States, Fourteenth Amendment .. ......... 3,8,14 Ohio Constitution, Section 1, Article 16 ... .............................. 3,8,14 R.C. Chapter 5711 ................................................................. 1,3 R.C. 5711.13 ......................................................................... 1 R.C. 5711.18 .... ..................................................................... 4,8 R.C. 5711.22 ......................................................................... 1,3 R.C. 5711.24 ......................................................................... 3 R.C. 5711.26 ....... .................................................................. 3,4,8,14 R.C. 5711.31 ......................................................................... 4 R.C. 5711.32(B)(1)(b) ........................................................... 3 R.C. 5717.02 ......................................................................... 2,4,5,7,8,9,10,14 R.C. 5717.04