Failure to Serve Superintendent of Schools in Accordance with RPTL Required Dismissal of Property Tax Certiorari Proceeding

The Second Department determined Supreme Court properly vacated an order which directed the school district to repay back taxes for 2006 through 2010 on the ground that the superintendent of schools was not properly served in the tax certiorari proceeding:

It is undisputed that the petitioner failed to comply with the requirements of RPTL 708(3) which provide, in pertinent part, that in a tax certiorari proceeding, within 10 days after service upon the Assessor, “one copy of the petition and notice shall be mailed . . . to the superintendent of schools of any school district within which any of part of the real property on which the assessment to be reviewed is located.” RPTL 708(3) further provides that “[f]ailure to comply with the provisions of this section shall result in the dismissal of the petition, unless excused for good cause shown.” RPTL 708(3) requires a petitioner to show good cause to excuse its failure to notify the appropriate school district, and not merely to demonstrate the absence of prejudice to that school district … . Contrary to the petitioner’s contention, it failed to establish good cause for its failure to serve the petitions on the School District … . Accordingly, the Supreme Court providently exercised its discretion in denying the petitioner’s cross motion [for leave to make late service] (see CPLR 2004, 2005; RPTL 708[3]…). Matter of Cornwall Yacht Club, Inc. v Assessor, 2013 NY Slip Op 07039 [110 AD3d 1070], 2nd Dept 10-30-13