Nova Tube Indiana II LLC v. Clark County Assessor , 101 N.E.3d 887 ( 2018 )


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  • ATTORNEYS FOR PETITIONER:                        ATTORNEYS FOR RESPONDENT:
    BRENT A. AUBERRY                                 CURTIS T. HILL, JR.
    BENJAMIN A. BLAIR                                ATTORNEY GENERAL OF INDIANA
    FAEGRE BAKER DANIELS LLP                         BENJAMIN J. LEGGE
    Indianapolis, IN                                 WINSTON LIN
    ALEKSANDRINA P. PRATT
    DEPUTY ATTORNEYS GENERAL
    Indianapolis, IN
    IN THE
    INDIANA TAX COURT                                        FILED
    May 18 2018, 2:22 pm
    CLERK
    NOVA TUBE INDIANA II LLC,                        )                      Indiana Supreme Court
    Court of Appeals
    and Tax Court
    )
    Petitioner,                                )
    )
    v.                                  ) Cause No. 49T10-1708-TA-00013
    )
    CLARK COUNTY ASSESSOR,                           )
    )
    Respondent.                                )
    ON APPEAL FROM A FINAL DETERMINATION OF
    THE INDIANA BOARD OF TAX REVIEW
    FOR PUBLICATION
    May 18, 2018
    WENTWORTH, J.
    Nova Tube Indiana II, LLC appeals the Indiana Board of Tax Review’s final
    determination, which upheld the assessments of its real property for the 2011, 2012, and
    2013 tax years. Upon review, the Court reverses the Indiana Board’s final determination.
    FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
    During the years at issue, Nova Tube owned two parcels of land in Clark County,
    Jeffersonville, Indiana. (See Cert. Admin. R. at 451-59.) Together, the parcels were
    comprised of 29.1 acres of land with rail spurs that provided access to the nearby railroad
    and a 109,443 square foot industrial warehouse. (See Cert. Admin. R. at 195, 215, 616-
    17, 622-624.)
    In 2010, the property was assessed at $2,245,900. (See Cert. Admin. R. at 452,
    459.) In 2011, however, the Clark County Assessor increased the property’s assessment
    by over 50%, assigning it a total assessed value of $4,653,100. (See Cert. Admin. R. at
    452, 459, 522.)      Over the next two years, the property’s assessments increased
    incrementally, with it being assessed at $4,767,200 in 2012 and $4,767,300 in 2013. (See
    Cert. Admin. R. at 522-23.)
    On October 3, 2013, Nova Tube appealed its assessments for the years at issue
    to the Clark County Property Tax Assessment Board of Appeals (the PTABOA). In May
    of 2014, while the appeals were still pending with the PTABOA, Nova Tube sold the
    property to the Port of Indiana for $6,125,000. (See Cert. Admin. R. at 650-54.) The
    PTABOA subsequently affirmed all three of Nova Tube’s assessments.
    Nova Tube appealed the PTABOA’s determinations to the Indiana Board on July
    18, 2014. After conducting a hearing on the appeals, the Indiana Board issued a final
    determination in the matter on June 30, 2017. In that final determination, the Indiana
    Board explained that with respect to the 2011 appeal, the Assessor bore the burden of
    proving that the assessment increase was correct under Indiana Code § 6-1.1-15-17.2.1
    (See Cert. Admin. R. at 97-98 ¶ 36.) The Indiana Board then determined that the
    Assessor met her burden because the evidence that the property was sold in a “market
    1
    Indiana Code § 6-1.1-15-17.2, commonly referred to as “the burden-shifting rule,” provides that
    if the assessment of the same property increases by more than 5% from one year to the next, the
    assessor bears the burden of proving that the assessment is correct. See Orange Cnty. Assessor
    v. Stout, 
    996 N.E.2d 871
    , 873 (Ind. Tax Ct. 2013); IND. CODE § 6-1.1-15-17.2 (2014). Compare
    with IND. CODE § 6.1.1-15-1(l) (2014) (explaining that otherwise, the taxpayer bears the burden of
    demonstrating that the assessment is incorrect) (repealed 2017).
    2
    value” transaction in May 2014 and that the market was relatively stable during the years
    at issue supported her assessment values. (See Cert. Admin. R. at 97 ¶¶ 34-35, 99-102
    ¶¶ 41-46.) Consequently, the burden shifted to Nova Tube to rebut the Assessor’s prima
    facie case. (See Cert. Admin. R. at 101-02 ¶ 46.)
    In its rebuttal presentation, Nova Tube asserted that the May 2014 sale was not a
    market value transaction because the buyer, the Port of Indiana, was atypically motivated
    given that it was a government entity that already owned “the vast majority of the land in
    that area[,]” including land adjacent to Nova Tube’s property. (See Cert. Admin. R. at
    100-01 ¶ 43, 651-57.) Nova Tube also asserted that the Assessor had admitted that the
    May 2014 sales price did not actually reflect the property’s market value-in-use because
    the property record cards stated that the sale was “invalid.” (See, e.g., Cert. Admin. R.
    at 596-601, 656-57.)     Finally, Nova Tube presented an appraisal, completed in
    conformance with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP),
    that valued the property at $2,900,000 for 2011. (See, e.g., Cert. Admin. R. at 194-280,
    561-62, 644-806.)
    The Indiana Board weighed the competing evidence and determined that Nova
    Tube did not persuasively rebut the Assessor’s prima facie case, explaining that the lack
    of support for certain adjustments and valuations in Nova Tube’s 2011 appraisal,
    particularly the land valuations, had diminished its probative value. (See Cert. Admin. R.
    at 102-03 ¶¶ 47-53.) Consequently, the Indiana Board upheld the property’s 2011
    assessment of $4,653,100. (See Cert. Admin. R. at 100-05 ¶¶ 43-46, 54-57.)
    With respect to Nova Tube’s 2012 and 2013 appeals, the Indiana Board did not
    state which party bore the burden of proof; rather, it stated that the Assessor had made
    3
    a prima facie case for 2012 and 2013 by using the same evidence offered to support her
    2011 assessment. (See Cert. Admin. R. at 101-02 ¶ 46.) The Indiana Board determined
    that Nova Tube’s 2012 and 2013 appraisals, which valued the property at $3,000,000 for
    2012 and $3,100,000 for 2013, did not persuasively rebut the Assessor’s prima facie case
    because they suffered from the same infirmities as its 2011 appraisal. (See Cert. Admin.
    R. at 101-04 ¶¶ 46-53, 55.) (See also Cert. Admin. R. at 836-37, 859-60.) Accordingly,
    the Indiana Board also upheld the property’s 2012 assessment of $4,767,200 as well as
    its 2013 assessment of $4,767,300. (See Cert. Admin. R. at 104-05 ¶ 57.)
    On July 17, 2017, Nova Tube filed a Request for Rehearing. (See Cert. Admin. R.
    at 106-17.) On July 31, 2017, the Indiana Board denied Nova Tube’s Request for
    Rehearing. (See Cert. Admin. R. at 123-26.)
    On August 11, 2017, Nova Tube initiated this original tax appeal. The Court heard
    oral argument on February 14, 2018. Additional facts will be supplied if necessary.
    STANDARD OF REVIEW
    The party seeking to overturn a final determination of the Indiana Board bears the
    burden of demonstrating its invalidity.    Osolo Twp. Assessor v. Elkhart Maple Lane
    Assocs., 
    789 N.E.2d 109
    , 111 (Ind. Tax Ct. 2003). Thus, Nova Tube must demonstrate
    to the Court that the Indiana Board’s final determination is arbitrary, capricious, an abuse
    of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law; contrary to constitutional right,
    power, privilege, or immunity; in excess of or short of statutory jurisdiction, authority, or
    limitations; without observance of the procedure required by law; or unsupported by
    substantial or reliable evidence. See IND. CODE § 33-26-6-6(e)(1)-(5) (2018).
    4
    ANALYSIS
    On appeal, Nova Tube asks the Court to reverse the Indiana Board’s final
    determination, claiming it is contrary to law, unsupported by substantial or reliable
    evidence, and constitutes an abuse of discretion. (See, e.g., Oral Arg. Tr. at 11; Pet’r
    Initial Br. (“Pet’r Br.”) at 15-16, 21-22.) More specifically, Nova Tube contends that the
    Indiana Board erred in upholding the assessments because the Assessor did not meet
    her initial burden of proving that the assessment increases were correct given that: 1)
    she failed to demonstrate that the property sold in a market value transaction in May 2014;
    and 2) she failed to relate the property’s May 2014 sales price to the relevant valuation
    dates.2 (See Pet’r Br. at 12-22; Pet’r Reply Br. at 13-14.)
    1. Market Value Transaction
    During the years at issue, Indiana defined “market value” for purposes of its
    property tax assessment system as:
    The most probable price, as of a specified date, in cash, or in terms
    equivalent to cash, or in other precisely revealed terms, for which the
    specified property rights should sell after reasonable exposure in a
    competitive market under all conditions requisite to a fair sale, with
    the buyer and seller each acting prudently, knowledgeably, and for
    self-interest, and assuming that neither is under undue duress.
    2011 REAL PROPERTY ASSESSMENT MANUAL (“2011 Manual”) (incorporated by reference
    at 50 IND. ADMIN. CODE 2.4-1-2 (2011)) at 5-6. The definition specified the conditions
    required for fair sales, including that the buyer and seller be typically motivated, without
    2
    Nova Tube also claims that the Indiana Board violated a fundamental appraisal principle by
    finding that the May 2014 sale corroborated the assessment increases because the evidence
    failed to indicate whether it was reasonable to deem a sale occurring up to three years after the
    relevant valuation dates as probative of the property’s market value-in-use for the years at issue.
    (See Pet’r Initial Br. (“Pet’r Br.”) at 22-25.) The Court will not address this issue because the case
    is resolved on other grounds.
    5
    duress, compulsion, or pressure to act.         See id.   Accord 2002 REAL PROPERTY
    ASSESSMENT MANUAL (2004 Reprint) (“2002 Manual”) (incorporated by reference at 50
    IND. ADMIN. CODE 2.3-1-2 (2002 Supp.) (repealed 2010)) at 10 (defining “market value”);
    Marion Cnty. Assessor v. Simon DeBartolo Group, LP, 
    52 N.E.3d 65
    , 70-71 (Ind. Tax Ct.
    2016) (construing Indiana’s definition of market value); INT’L ASS’N        OF   ASSESSING
    OFFICERS, PROPERTY ASSESSMENT VALUATION 100 (2nd ed. 1996) (stating that market
    value sales require, among other things, that buyers and sellers be typically motivated).
    Nova Tube accordingly maintains that to establish that a sale is a market value
    transaction one must, among other things, show that the parties to the transaction are
    typically motivated. (See Pet’r Br. at 12; Pet’r Reply Br. at 10-11.) Nova Tube claims that
    because the evidence in this case indisputably showed that the buyer, the Port of Indiana,
    was atypically motivated, the Indiana Board abused its discretion in finding that the May
    2014 sale was a market value transaction. (See, e.g., Pet’r Reply Br. at 1; Oral Arg. Tr.
    at 11.) Indeed, Nova Tube maintains the Port of Indiana’s atypical motivation was
    manifest given its status as both a government entity and adjacent landowner. (See, e.g.,
    Pet’r Reply Br. at 7-11.) Moreover, Nova Tube claims that the parties’ expert witnesses
    agreed that the Port of Indiana was atypically motivated during the administrative hearing
    and that the Assessor tacitly conceded the point by noting on the property record cards
    that the sale was “invalid” for purposes of the mass appraisal process. (See Pet’r Br. at
    15-20.) Nova Tube further asserts that the Assessor failed to rebut its evidence because
    she focused on factors unrelated to a buyer’s atypical motivation, namely whether the
    property was sold in an “arm’s length” or “open market” transaction. (See Pet’r Br. at 13-
    16; Pet’r Reply Br. at 9-11.) Nova Tube’s claims, however, are unpersuasive for three
    6
    reasons.
    First, the certified administrative record reveals that both parties’ expert witnesses
    stated that the mere fact that one of the parties to a transaction is a government entity or
    adjacent landowner does not in itself demonstrate that the party is atypically motivated.
    (See, e.g., Cert. Admin. R. at 905-07, 937-39, 967, 972-78 (providing that sales to
    government entities and adjacent landowners may be used to appraise property under
    certain conditions, e.g., after researching the sale to verify that it reflects a property’s
    market value).) Moreover, the International Association of Assessing Officers’ 2007
    Standard on Ratio Studies provides that sales to government agencies may be used in
    performing a ratio study3 after researching the sales to verify that they are market value
    transactions. (See Cert. Admin. R. at 114.) Here, the Assessor initially deemed the May
    2014 sale of the subject property invalid for use in the mass appraisal/ratio study process
    presumably because the sales disclosure form indicated that the buyer was both a
    government entity and adjacent landowner. (See Cert. Admin. R. 469-72, 955-68.) Upon
    a more in-depth investigation, however, she determined that the May 2014 sale was
    equivalent to a market value transaction that supported her assessment increases. (See
    Cert. Admin. R. at 976-77, 1009-10.)
    Second, while Nova Tube asserts that the parties’ expert witnesses agreed that
    the Port of Indiana was atypically motivated, it has not cited the portion of the record
    containing that agreement, (see generally, e.g., Pet’r Br.), and this Court’s review of the
    3
    A ratio study is “[a] study of the relationship between [properties’] appraised or assessed values
    and market values. Indicators of market values may be either sales (sales ratio study) or
    independent ‘expert’ appraisals (appraisal ratio study). Of common interest in ratio studies are
    the level of uniformity of the appraisal or assessments.” 2011 REAL PROPERTY ASSESSMENT
    MANUAL (“2011 Manual”) (incorporated by reference at 50 IND. ADMIN. CODE 2.4-1-2 (2011)) at 6.
    7
    record uncovered no such agreement. The totality of the evidence, therefore, does not
    support Nova Tube’s claim that the Assessor’s notation on the property record cards was
    an admission of the Port of Indiana’s atypical motivation and her acknowledgment that
    the May 2014 sales price was inconsistent with the property’s market value for all
    purposes. (See Pet’r Br. at 16-19; Oral Arg. Tr. at 33.)
    Finally, the parties offered conflicting evidence on the issue of whether the
    property’s May 2014 sale constituted a market value transaction. (Compare, e.g., Cert.
    Admin. R. at 650-54 with Cert. Admin. R. at 972-76.) Nova Tube presented evidence that
    indicated the May 2014 sale was not a market value transaction. (See, e.g., Cert. Admin.
    R. at 650-54, 656-57, 1026-28 (indicating that the Port of Indiana was the sole party
    interested in purchasing the property, that its business model was to purchase all nearby
    land to control its use, and that the property record cards stated that the May 2014 sale
    was “invalid”).) Conversely, the Assessor presented evidence that: a) the property’s
    asking price of $6,950,000 was based on an independent appraisal, b) the property sold
    after being on the market for 373 days, c) there were “a number of lookers[,]” d) the
    property ultimately sold for $825,000 less than the asking price, and e) the personal
    property (i.e., cranes) advertised as part of the sale were not actually included in the sale.
    (See Cert. Admin. R. at 473-76, 972-76, 1007-09.) The record indicates that the Indiana
    Board considered and weighed the competing evidence, making its finding based on the
    facts and circumstances before it. Thus, this Court cannot reweigh the evidence on this
    issue and replace the Indiana Board’s finding with one of its own. See, e.g., Hubler Realty
    Co. v. Hendricks Cnty. Assessor, 
    938 N.E.2d 311
    , 315 n.5 (Ind. Tax Ct. 2010) (providing
    that an abuse of discretion occurs when the Indiana Board either misinterprets the law or
    8
    acted clearly against the logic and effect of the facts and circumstances before it).
    Accordingly, the Court finds that the Indiana Board’s determination is supported by
    substantial evidence, and it did not abuse its discretion in finding that Nova Tube’s
    property sold in a market value transaction in May 2014.
    2. Relationship to the Valuation Dates
    Nova Tube also claims that the Indiana Board abused its discretion in finding,
    contrary to law, that the May 2014 sales price was sufficiently related to each of the
    relevant valuation dates because the Assessor did not trend that sale and affirmatively
    link the sales price to the valuation dates. (See Pet’r Br. at 22-23; Pet’r Reply Br. at 13-
    14; Oral Arg. Tr. at 29-31.) “Trending” is the process that applies an adjustment factor4
    to the value of a property to estimate its market value-in-use on a specific date. See, e.g.,
    50 IND. ADMIN. CODE 27-5-1 (2018).
    The Assessor, on the other hand, contends that Nova Tube’s claim is meritless
    because she demonstrated to the Indiana Board that trending was unnecessary. (See,
    e.g., Cert. Admin. R. at 516.) More specifically, the Assessor explains that she presented
    evidence that the rate of growth in the market ranged from only 0% to 1% between 2011
    and 2013, as the market continued to recover from the recession, and that the pattern of
    limited growth continued in 2014. (See Resp’t Br. at 14-15; Oral Arg. Tr. at 39-45.)
    When, as here, a taxpayer appeals an assessment that increased by more than
    5% from one year to the next, Indiana Code § 6-1.1-15-17.2 automatically shifts the
    4
    In determining the adjustment factor, assessing officials typically use sales of properties in
    certain neighborhoods, areas, or classes that “ideally [occurred] not more than fourteen (14)
    months before the March 1 assessment and valuation date.” 50 IND. ADMIN. CODE 27-5-2(a)
    (2018).
    9
    burden of proof5 from the taxpayer to the assessing official. See IND. CODE § 6-1.1-15-
    17.2 (2014). Accordingly, the assessing official bears the initial burden of proving to the
    Indiana Board that the assessment increase, and thus the assessment, is correct.
    See id. To meet its initial burden, the assessing official must submit evidence relevant to
    the property’s market value-in-use (i.e., the property’s value “for its current use, as
    reflected by the utility received by the owner or by a similar user, from the property”) for
    the appropriate valuation date.6 See 2011 Manual at 2 (stating that March 1 is the
    valuation date for the years at issue). Consequently, the Assessor had to demonstrate
    that the evidence supporting her assessment increases reflected the subject property’s
    market value-in-use as of the March 1, 2011, 2012, and 2013 valuation dates as a matter
    of law. See 2011 Manual at 2.
    In support of her assessment increases, the Assessor provided information about
    general industrial market trends, residential demographics (e.g., population, income, and
    sales activities), and building permits issued between 2009 and 2013.7 (See Cert. Admin.
    R. at 477-508, 980-81, 989-98.)          Her evidence also indicated that the market was
    recovering from the recession between 2009 and 2014. (See Cert. Admin. R. at 125,
    5
    For purposes of Indiana Code § 6-1.1-15-17.2, the term “burden of proof” refers to the burden
    of production (i.e., “‘[a] party’s duty to introduce enough evidence on an issue to have the issue
    decided by the fact-finder, rather than decided against [it] in a peremptory ruling’”). See Peters v.
    Garoffolo, 
    32 N.E.3d 847
    , 852 n.6 (Ind. Tax Ct. 2015) (citations omitted).
    6
    Indeed, it is well-established that when a taxpayer challenges the accuracy of an assessment,
    he likewise must show that his evidence reflects his property’s market value-in use as of the
    appropriate valuation date. See, e.g., Marion Cnty. Assessor v. Simon DeBartolo Group, LP, 
    52 N.E.3d 65
    , 69-70 (Ind. Tax Ct. 2016); Big Foot Stores LLC v. Franklin Twp. Assessor, 
    919 N.E.2d 621
    , 625-26 (Ind. Tax Ct. 2009); O’Donnell v. Dep’t of Local Gov’t Fin., 
    854 N.E.2d 90
    , 95 (Ind.
    Tax Ct. 2006).
    7
    While the Indiana Board’s transcript indicates that this evidence is contained in Respondent’s
    Exhibit G, the actual exhibit is marked as Respondent’s Exhibit C. (See, e.g., Cert. Admin. R. at
    iii, 477, 978-79.)
    10
    493, 995-97.) The Assessor’s evidence showed both that the market was relatively stable
    from 2009 to 2014 (no more than 1% annual rate of growth in real estate values from
    2011 to 2013) and that the difference between the property’s 2013 assessment of
    $4,653,100 and its 2014 sales price of $6,125,000 represented roughly a 22% increase
    in value. (See, e.g., Oral Arg. Tr. at 43.) Nonetheless, the Assessor’s evidence failed to
    show that the property’s May 2014 sales price was directly related to any of the
    appropriate valuation dates for the years at issue. Moreover, the evidence did not indicate
    why the property’s 2011 assessment of $4,653,100, which was more than double its 2010
    assessment of $2,245,900, was correct given that the evidence showed that the market’s
    general growth was relatively flat from 2009 to 2014.
    The Assessor also urges the Court to affirm the Indiana Board’s finding as to this
    issue based on the proximate relationship between the property’s assessments of
    $4,653,100 in 2011, $4,767,200 in 2012, and $4,767,300 in 2013 and its May 2014 sales
    price of $6,125,000. (See Oral Arg. Tr. at 43-45.) The Assessor explains that the 22%
    increase in value from one year to the next is of little consequence because all these
    figures are close in value. (See Oral Arg. Tr. at 43-45.) The Assessor further states that
    to the extent the property was overvalued when it sold in May 2014, that fact would simply
    increase the reliability of her assessments because she did not request that the property
    be assessed at that higher value. (See Resp’t Br. at 14.) Consequently, the Assessor
    claims that the Indiana Board, consistent with both its own and this Court’s case law,
    appropriately relied on an objective indicator of value (i.e., the May 2014 sales price) and
    the figures closer to the objective measure rather than the figures derived from three
    subjective indicators of value (i.e., Nova Tube’s appraisals). (See Resp’t Br. at 12-15
    11
    (citing Hubler Realty Co. v. Hendricks Cnty. Assessor, Nos. 32-012-06-1-4-00015, et al.,
    (Ind. Bd. Tax Review Dec. 17, 2009); Fisher v. Carroll Cnty. Assessor, 
    74 N.E.3d 582
    (Ind. Tax Ct. 2017)).) The Assessor’s claims, however, are unpersuasive for the following
    reasons.
    Initially, while the property’s May 2014 sales price and the assessments at issue
    are relatively close in value, it is equally true that the property’s 2010 assessment of
    $2,245,900 and its appraised values of $2,9000,000 for 2011, $3,000,000 for 2012, and
    $3,100,000 for 2013 are similarly close in value. Thus, the mere proximity of certain
    figures does not indicate whether an assessment reflects a property’s market value-in-
    use as of a specific valuation date.
    In addition, the cases that the Assessor cited as support for her position are not
    persuasive here because their facts and issues on appeal fundamentally differ from the
    facts and issues on appeal in this case. Specifically, in Hubler Realty the Indiana Board
    found that the parties’ evidence, which consisted of an appraisal and sales data, was
    probative because the stated valuations were deemed to be contemporaneous to the
    relevant valuation date (i.e., within three to five months of the relevant valuation date).
    See Hubler Realty, No. 32-012-06-1-4-000115, slip op., at 7 ¶ 15(g). The Indiana Board’s
    finding as to the probative value of that evidence was not challenged on appeal. See
    Hubler Realty, 
    938 N.E.2d at 313-14
    . In this case, however, the Indiana Board did not
    base the probative value of the May 2014 sales price on a temporal proximity to the March
    1 valuation dates at issue. Moreover, the Indiana Board’s finding regarding the probative
    value of the May 2014 sales evidence has been challenged on appeal due in large part
    to this lack of proximity and failure to analyze the direct relationship between that sale
    12
    and each of the March 1 valuation dates. Accordingly, Hubler Realty does not support
    the Assessor’s position.
    With respect to the Fisher case, the Court upheld an assessing official’s
    assessment increases because they were corroborated by her market-based evidence:
    i.e., two appraisals that valued a taxpayer’s property on the relevant valuation dates for
    amounts that exceeded both assessments. See, e.g., Fisher, 74 N.E.3d at 585-86. In
    this case, however, the Assessor’s market-based evidence, the May 2014 sales data,
    only indicates the value of Nova Tube’s property on the date of sale because the Assessor
    did not trend that sale or provide other market-based evidence that affirmatively related
    the sales price to the March 1 valuation dates. Accordingly, Fisher does not support the
    Assessor’s position either. Therefore, the Court finds that the Indiana Board abused its
    discretion by finding that the May 2014 sales price was sufficiently related to each of the
    March 1 valuation dates. See Peters v. Garoffolo, 
    32 N.E.3d 847
    , 852 (Ind. Tax Ct. 2015)
    (providing that a prima facie case is one in which the evidence is “‘sufficient to establish
    a given fact and which if not contradicted will remain sufficient’” (citation omitted).)
    Consequently, the Assessor did not meet her initial burden of proving that her assessment
    increases were correct.
    Indiana Code § 6-1.1-15-17.2 provides that when an assessing official fails to meet
    her burden of proof, a taxpayer may present evidence to prove the actual market value-
    in-use of its property. See I.C. § 6-1.1-15-17.2(b). During the administrative hearing,
    Nova Tube offered three appraisals to establish that its property should be valued at
    $2,9000,000 for 2011, $3,000,000 for 2012, and $3,100,000 for 2013. (See, e.g., Cert.
    Admin. R. at 194-450.) The Indiana Board found that each of the appraisals, despite
    13
    certain flaws, had probative value. (See Cert. Admin. R. at Cert. Admin. R. at 103-04 ¶¶
    54-55.) While the Assessor has restated the Indiana Board’s criticisms of Nova Tube’s
    appraisals on appeal, she has not challenged the Indiana Board’s finding as to their
    overall probative value. (Compare Resp’t Br. at 15-17 with Cert. Admin. R. at 102-03 ¶¶
    47-53.) Therefore, the Court concludes that Nova Tube’s property should be assessed
    at $2,9000,000 for 2011, $3,000,000 for 2012, and $3,100,000 for 2013.
    CONCLUSION
    For the forgoing reasons, the final determination of the Indiana Board is
    REVERSED. The matter is REMANDED to the Indiana Board so that it may instruct the
    appropriate assessing officials to assess the subject property consistent with this opinion.
    14