No 

No. 98-417

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA

1999 MT 11

THOMAS WINCHELL and DAVID WINCHELL,

Petitioners and Appellants,

v.

MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

AND CONSERVATION, and JIM HAGEMEISTER,

Respondents and Respondents.

APPEAL FROM: District Court of the Seventh Judicial District,

In and for the County of Dawson,

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The Honorable Richard G. Phillips, Judge presiding.

COUNSEL OF RECORD:

For Appellants:

Steven S. McPherson; Schneider & Howe, P.C.; Glendive, Montana

For Respondents:

Tommy H. Butler, Special Assistant Attorney General, Montana

Department of Natural Resources and Conservation; Helena, Montana

A. Lance Tonn, Lucas & Tonn, P.C.; Miles City, Montana

(for respondent Hagemeister)

Submitted on Briefs: November 24, 1998

Decided: January 25, 1999

Filed:

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__________________________________________

Clerk

Justice Jim Regnier delivered the opinion of the Court.

¶1. Appellants, Tom and David Winchell, sought judicial review of the Department 

of Natural Resources and Conservation's valuation of improvements upon their lease 

on state land. The Winchells allege that the Department exceeded its statutory 

authority under § 77-6-306(3), MCA, when it substituted its values for the values 

established by a panel of arbitrators. Both the Winchells and the Department moved 

for summary judgement in the Seventh Judicial District Court, Dawson County. On 

May 8, 1998, the District Court granted summary judgment in favor of the 

Department and the Winchells appeal. We affirm. 

¶2. The issue before us is whether the District Court erred when it concluded that the 

Department of Natural Resources and Conservation did not exceed its statutory 

authority under § 77-6-306(3), MCA, by establishing its own values of improvements 

on state land.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

¶3. At issue in this case is State Lease No. 0343, a 477.9 acre tract of state trust land 

located in Dawson County. The lease has been the subject of long-standing litigation 

which has culminated in a series of cases before the Montana Supreme Court.

¶4. Litigation commenced when the Department of State Lands (now known as the 

Department of Natural Resources and Conservation) canceled the Winchells' lease 

because the Winchells failed to pay agricultural rents on thirty-two acres where they 

made agricultural improvements. Through the District Court, the Winchells 

obtained a writ of prohibition to avoid paying the agricultural rents. We upheld the 

writ in Winchell v. Department of State Lands (1988), 235 Mont. 10, 764 P.2d 1267 

(Winchell I), on the basis that the thirty-two acres were not suited for agricultural 

use, despite the Winchells' improvements. Thus, lower grazing rents were due 

instead.

¶5. The Winchells, thereafter, used the land for grazing. Then, in Winchell v. 

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Department of State Lands (1990), 241 Mont. 94, 785 P.2d 212 (Winchell II), we 

affirmed the Department's second attempt to cancel the Winchells' lease. This time 

the Department successfully argued that the Winchells mismanaged the lease by 

permitting the land to be overgrazed.

¶6. In Winchell v. Department of State Lands (1993), 262 Mont. 328, 865 P.2d 249 

(Winchell III), we considered the Winchells' efforts to regain the lease by submitting 

the highest bid in a competitive bid process for a new lease. We concluded that the 

Department could reject the Winchells' bid if it provided written findings as to why 

acceptance of the bid was not in the State's best interest.

¶7. When the Department solicited bids a second time for a new lease, the Winchells 

again submitted the highest bid. This time, the Department awarded the lease to the 

second highest bidder, Jim Hagemeister. In order for Hagemeister to obtain the 

lease, however, he had to pay the Winchells the value of the useable improvements 

they placed on the land, pursuant to § 77-6-305, MCA. Since the Winchells and 

Hagemeister were not able to agree on a value of the improvements, a three-person 

panel of arbitrators was requested to ascertain a value, pursuant to § 77-6-306(1), 

MCA. Two of the three arbitrators agreed that the improvements should be valued 

in excess of $20,000; however, they did not explain their rationale. The third 

arbitrator submitted a much lower value of $1,407.35.

¶8. Hagemeister appealed the arbitrators' higher value to the Department. Pursuant 

to § 77-6-306(3), MCA, the Department "examine[d] the records pertaining to the 

costs of the improvements" in ascertaining a new value. In addition, the Department 

sent its own staff appraiser to conduct an on-site inspection of the improvements. The 

Department set aside the arbitrators' higher value and established a much lower 

value of $1,564.

¶9. The Winchells appealed the Department's valuation process in the Seventh 

Judicial District Court, Dawson County, pursuant to § 77-6-306(4), MCA. Both 

parties moved for summary judgment, and on May 8, 1998, the District Court 

granted summary judgment in favor of the Department. From this, the Winchells 

appeal.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

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¶10. On appeal from a summary judgment, this Court reviews a case de novo based 

on the same criteria applied by the district court. See Stutzman v. Safeco Ins. Co. 

(1997), 284 Mont. 372, 376, 945 P.2d 32, 34 (citing Treichel v. State Farm Mut. Auto. 

Ins. Co. (1997), 280 Mont. 443, 446, 930 P.2d 661, 663). Thus, 

[t]he movant must demonstrate that no genuine issues of material fact exist. Once this has 

been accomplished, the burden then shifts to the non-moving party to prove by more than 

mere denial and speculation that a genuine issue does exist. Having determined that 

genuine issues of material fact do not exist, the court must then determine whether the 

moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. [This Court] reviews the legal 

determination made by a district court as to whether the court erred.

Stutzman, 284 Mont. at 376, 945 P.2d at 34 (quoting Bruner v. Yellowstone County (1995), 

272 Mont. 261, 264-65, 900 P.2d 901, 903).

¶11. Upon a de novo review of a proceeding in a case that is not "contested," our 

standard of review is limited to whether the agency erred in law or whether its 

decision is wholly unsupported by the evidence or clearly arbitrary or capricious. See 

Johansen v. Department of Natural Resources & Conservation, 1998 MT 51, ¶26, 955 

P.2d 653, ¶26, 55 St. Rep. 211, ¶26 (citing North Fork Preservation Assoc. v. 

Department of State Lands (1989), 238 Mont. 451, 457, 778 P.2d 862, 866). In such a 

proceeding, we only inquire insofar as to ascertain if the agency has stayed within its 

statutory bounds and has not acted arbitrarily, capriciously, or unlawfully. See 

Johansen, ¶26 (citing North Fork Preservation, 238 Mont. at 457, 778 P.2d at 866. We 

afford great deference to agency decisions, especially where it implicates substantial 

agency expertise. See Johansen, ¶29.

¶12. This standard of review is different than the standard we apply in a contested 

case under the Montana Administrative Procedures Act, §§ 2-4-701 to -711, MCA. 

Although the District Court applied the standard of review for a contested case, we 

will affirm its decision regardless of its reasoning where it reached the correct result. 

See Farmers Union Cent. Exchange, Inc. v. Department of Revenue (1995), 272 Mont. 

471, 475, 901 P.2d 561, 563 (citing Lindey's, Inc. v. Goodover (1994), 264 Mont. 449, 

453, 872 P.2d 764, 766; Tisher v. Norwest Capital Mgmt. & Trust (1993), 260 Mont. 

143, 153-54, 859 P.2d 984, 990).

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DISCUSSION

¶13. Did the District Court err when it concluded that the Department of Natural 

Resources and Conservation did not exceed its statutory authority under § 77-6-306

(3), MCA, by establishing its own values of improvements on state land?

¶14. We begin our analysis by considering the statutory language that requires 

improvements to be valued at their reasonable value. Section 77-6-302(1), MCA, 

requires a new lessee of state land to pay the former lessee a "reasonable value" for 

improvements made by the former lessee. A reasonable value of improvements must 

be established at the time the new lessee takes possession of the land. In 1993, the 

Legislature amended this statute to require that a reasonable value not be "less than 

the full market value of the improvements." The 1993 amendments also require that 

records pertaining to the cost of the improvements be used to establish a reasonable 

value. See §§ 77-6-302(2) and -306(3), MCA. 

¶15. When the Winchells and Hagemeister did not agree on a reasonable value for 

the improvements on the land, pursuant to § 77-6-302, MCA, a panel of arbitrators 

was asked to ascertain a value pursuant to § 77-6-306(1), MCA. The arbitrators 

requested the Department to instruct them on what to consider in their valuation 

process. The Department referred them to § 77-6-303, MCA, which states: 

In determining the value of these improvements, consideration shall be given to their 

original cost, their present condition, their suitableness for the uses ordinarily made of the 

lands on which they are located, and to the general state of cultivation of the land, its 

productive capacity as affected by former use, and its condition with reference to the 

infestation of noxious weeds. Consideration shall be given to all actual improvements and 

to all known effects that the use and occupancy of the land have had upon its productive 

capacity and desirableness for the new lessee.

The Department's response indicated that the present condition of the improvements and 

their suitableness for ordinary uses should reflect their full market value in their present 

condition and their reasonable value. Thus, the Department's instruction was consistent 

with the language of § 77-6-302, MCA.

¶16. The Department's own valuation of the improvements included a staff 

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appraiser's physical inspection. Pursuant to § 26.3.152(6), ARM (now known as § 

36.25.125(6), ARM), the appraiser formulated his own values for the Winchells' 

water spreading project, cross-fencing, spring development, stock water 

development, and prairie dog control, and used the prevailing area rates for 

agricultural labor.(1)

¶17. The Winchells argue that when the appraiser performed his own physical 

inspection and valuation of the improvements, the Department violated its statutory 

authority. The Winchells contend that the Department's authority is limited by the 

Legislature's 1993 amendment, which allows the Department only to "examine the 

records pertaining to the costs of the improvements." The Winchells distinguish this 

language from the statute's pre-1993 language which provided the Department 

authority to "examine the improvements." Contrasting the original language from 

its amended version, the Winchells argue that the Department no longer has the 

authority to perform a de novo review of the value of the improvements. The 

Winchells contend that the Department must give deference to the arbitrators' 

factual conclusions and review only the records pertaining to the costs of the 

improvements. Thus, they ask us to reverse the District Court's decision granting 

summary judgment on this issue.

¶18. The Department interprets the statutes differently. The Department first refers 

to the language of § 77-6-306(3), MCA, which states that the Department's decision 

"is final"--a term that characterizes its decision as independent of the arbitrators' 

decision. The Department also points out the absence of any language that 

characterizes its review as an appellate review. The Department argues that an 

appellate review is mandated only upon the District Court under § 77-6-306(4), 

MCA. Next, the Department argues that the language of § 77-6-303, MCA, which 

requires that the value of the improvements reflect their present condition and 

suitableness for ordinary uses of the land, makes the appraiser's physical inspection 

and independent valuation essential. 

¶19. The District Court relied on the language of § 77-6-303, MCA, as well, and 

determined that if the Department limited its review to only the records, all the other 

factors intended to be considered by the Legislature in the valuation of 

improvements would be ignored. Thus, by limiting the Department to a review of the 

records, the court would violate the rule of statutory construction that requires 

courts to read all parts of a statute as a whole and to give effect to every part. In 

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addition, the District Court found no statutory language prohibiting the Department 

from considering the factors listed in § 77-6-303, MCA. Looking at § 77-6-306(4), 

MCA, which refers to a district court's judicial review of improvement values "fixed 

by the [D]epartment," the District Court concluded that if the Department was 

merely to review the procedures used by the arbitrators and the records pertaining 

to the costs of the improvements, the Department would be in no position to "fix" 

values. 

¶20. We agree with the District Court that it is significant that we read all provisions 

of the statute and give effect to all of them. See Albright v. State (1997), 281 Mont. 

196, 206, 933 P.2d 815, 821 (citing Larson v. Crissmore (1987), 228 Mont. 9, 15, 741 

P.2d 401, 405). Thus, despite the Legislature's mandate that the Department review 

the records pertaining to the improvements, the Department cannot ignore the 

requirements of § 77-6-303, MCA. While the Legislature's amendatory language 

requires the Department to consider the records, it does not prohibit the Department 

from considering other factors referenced in § 77-6-303, MCA, as well. In our 

determination, a reasonable value must incorporate all factors that will reflect the 

value of improvements at their current market rate, including any appreciation or 

depreciation. Thus, our interpretation of the relevant statutes affords the 

Department a de novo review of the arbitrators' decision and the opportunity to 

establish its own values of improvements made on state land.

¶21. In a previous decision, Evertz v. State (1991), 249 Mont. 193, 815 P.2d 135, we 

recognized the Department's authority to value improvements on state land, 

pursuant to § 77-6-306(3), MCA. The Department asks us to advance our holding in 

Evertz; however, Evertz does not support our decision here. In Evertz, we considered 

the Department's valuation procedure in light of a due process analysis before the 

1993 amendments were made. At that time, the Department's authority to perform a 

de novo review was not at issue.

¶22. Based on our determination that the Department has the authority to conduct a 

de novo review of the value for improvements on state land, we also are not 

compelled to advance the Winchells' argument that the Uniform Arbitration Act, 

found at Title 27 of the Montana Code Annotated, should limit the Department's 

authority. We hold that because the Uniform Arbitration Act establishes a district 

court's standard of review in an appellate procedure, the Act does not apply here.

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¶23. The Winchells do not contest the Department's findings, so we will not consider 

them any further. Thus, we conclude that the District Court did not err when it 

decided that the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation did not exceed 

its statutory authority under § 77-6-306(3), MCA, by establishing its own values of 

improvements on state land. The Department has stayed within its statutory bounds 

and has not acted arbitrarily, capriciously, or unlawfully.

¶24. We affirm.

/S/ JIM REGNIER 

We Concur:

/S/ J. A. TURNAGE

/S/ WILLIAM E. HUNT, SR.

/S/ TERRY N. TRIEWEILER

Justice James C. Nelson specially concurs.

¶25. I concur in our opinion, although somewhat reluctantly. By the plain language 

of the amendments which it adopted, the 1993 Legislature appears to have restricted 

the scope of the Department's involvement in valuation proceedings under § 77-6-306

(3), MCA. Prior to the 1993 amendments, the Department was required to "examine 

the improvements," thus contemplating a physical or on-site inspection. From 1993 

to the present, however, the Department is required to "examine the records 

pertaining to the costs of the improvements." (Emphasis added.) In construing a 

statute, this Court presumes that the legislature intended to make some change in 

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existing law by passing it. State ex rel. Dick Irvin, Inc. v. Anderson (1974), 164 Mont. 

513, 523-24, 525 P.2d 564, 570. Arguably, the 1993 Legislature intended some change 

in the Department's review authority under § 77-6-306(3), MCA, and it appears, 

facially, that the contemplated change was to restrict the Department's authority to 

examine the improvements on-site. Unfortunately, given the lack of any definitive 

legislative history explaining the amendment and taking into consideration the rest of 

the statutory scheme, this sort of interpretation does not make a whole lot of sense. 

Thus, what might be an otherwise clear statement of legislative intent in amending 

the statute becomes confusing and ambiguous.

¶26. I concur in our opinion, because it is about the only interpretation that 

preserves the entirety of the statutory scheme for valuing improvements. If the 

legislature had something else in mind, then it will have to make that clear in another 

statutory amendment.

/S/ JAMES C. NELSON

1. 1The Winchells do not contest the validity of § 36.25.125(6), ARM, which states:

Summer fallowing, necessary cultivation done after the last crop grown, seeding and 

growing crops shall be considered improvements. The value of seeded acreage and 

growing crops shall be limited to costs for seeding, seedbed preparation, fertilization and 

agricultural labor at the prevailing rate in the area. The former lessee's or licensee's 

anticipated profit shall not be included in such value. . . . The original breaking of the 

ground shall also be considered an improvement; however, if 1 year's crops have been 

raised on the land, the value shall not exceed $2.50 per acre and if 2 year's [sic] crops have 

been raised, there shall be no compensation.

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