# Heath City School Dist. Bd. of Edn. v. Licking Cty. Bd. of Revision

> Ohio Court of Appeals · March 19, 2025 · 2025 Ohio 950

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/10824822

## Case

- **Court:** Ohio Court of Appeals
- **Decided:** March 19, 2025
- **Citations:** 2025 Ohio 950
- **Precedential status:** Published
- **Opinion:** Opinion
- **Judges:** Baldwin
- **Cited by:** 0 later opinions in the Frix Law Library

## Citator (automated)

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## Opinion text

[Cite as Heath City School Dist. Bd. of Edn. v. Licking Cty. Bd. of Revision, 2025-Ohio-950.]

COURT OF APPEALS
LICKING COUNTY, OHIO
FIFTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

HEATH CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT : JUDGES:
BOARD OF EDUCATION : Hon. Craig R. Baldwin, P.J.
: Hon. Andrew J. King, J.
Appellant : Hon. David M. Gormley, J.
:
-vs- :
:
LICKING COUNTY BOARD OF : Case No. 2024 CA 00067
REVISION, ET AL. :
:
Appellees : OPINION

CHARACTER OF PROCEEDING: Appeal from the Licking County
Court of Common Pleas, Case No.
24 CV 00743

JUDGMENT: Affirmed

DATE OF JUDGMENT: March 19, 2025

APPEARANCES:

For Appellant For Appellees

MARK H. GILLIS JENNY WELLS
KELLEY A. GORRY Licking County Prosecuting Attorney
Rich & Gillis Law Group, LLC AUSTIN A. LECKLIDER
5747 Perimeter Dr., Suite 150 Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
Dublin, Ohio 43017 20 S. Second St.
Newark, Ohio 43055

For Appellee Blue Sky Heath
Properties, LLC

CHARLES L. BLUESTONE
ANDREW J. MERWINE
Bluestone Law Group, LLC
141 E. Town St., Suite 100
Columbus, Ohio 43215

Baldwin, P.J.

{¶1} Appellant, Heath City Schools Board of Education ("BOE"), appeals the

decision of the Court of Common Pleas of Licking County, Ohio, dismissing its complaint

challenging the 2023 tax value of certain real property.

{¶2} Appellees are Licking County Board of Revision ("BOR"), Licking County

Auditor, and Blue Jay Heath Properties, LLC ("Property Owner").

STATEMENT OF THE FACTS AND THE CASE

{¶3} The relevant facts and procedural history are as follows:

{¶4} In 2023, BOE filed an original valuation complaint with the BOR for tax year

2023, challenging the true valuation of certain real property and seeking an increase in

the value of properties owned by the Property Owner, appellee herein.

{¶5} The BOR dismissed the BOE's complaint due to lack of subject matter

jurisdiction for noncompliance with R.C. 5715.19(A)(6)(a) without holding a hearing.

{¶6} The BOE appealed this decision to the Court of Common Pleas for Licking

County, Ohio, as an administrative appeal pursuant to R.C. 2506.01.

{¶7} The trial court sua sponte dismissed the appeal.

{¶8} The BOE filed a timely notice of appeal and herein raises the following two

assignments of error:

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR

{¶9} "I. THE LICKING COUNTY COMMON PLEAS COURT ERRED IN

IGNORING THE SUPREME COURT'S INTERPRETATION OF R.C. 2506.01 AS SET
FORTH IN WALKER, SUTHERLAND-WAGNER, AND NUSPL, BECAUSE AN APPEAL

IS AVAILABLE PURSUANT TO R.C. 2506.01 WHEN NEITHER EXISTING R.C. 5717.05

NOR THE REVISIONS TO R.C. 5717.01 PROHIBIT AN APPEAL PURSUANT TO R.C.

2506.01."

{¶10} "II. THE PERCEIVED INTENT OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN

ENACTING H.B. 126 MAY NOT BE ELEVATED ABOVE THE ACTUAL WORDS THE

GENERAL ASSEMBLY USED IN THE REVISIONS TO R.C. 5717.01 OR TO INSERT

WORDS IN R.C. 5717.05 THAT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY DID NOT INSERT TO

PRECLUDE AN APPEAL PURSUANT TO R.C. 2506.01."

I., II.

{¶11} The issue before this court is whether the trial court erred in holding that a

board of education lacks statutory authority to appeal a decision of a county board of

revision to the common pleas court as an administrative appeal pursuant to R.C. 2506.01.

We previously addressed this issue in Olentangy Local School Dist. Bd. of Education v.

Delaware Cnty. Bd. of Revision, 2024-Ohio-1564 (5th Dist.).

{¶12} In Olentangy, this court found the language in R.C. Ch. 5717 was not

ambiguous, and the right to an appeal is solely with the property owner. Id. at ¶ 32.

Furthermore, we held that a board of education is statutorily prohibited from appealing a

decision of the board of revision to either the Board of Tax Appeals or the common pleas

court. Id. at ¶ 43.

{¶13} For these reasons set forth in Olentangy, we find the trial court did not err

in dismissing the BOE's appeal of the BOR's decision.

{¶14} Accordingly, BOE's first and second assignments of error are overruled.
CONCLUSION

{¶15} Based upon the foregoing, the judgment of the Court of Common Pleas of

Licking County, Ohio is affirmed.

By: Baldwin, P.J.

King, J. and

Gormley, J. concur.

---

Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/10824822. Public record. Not legal advice.
