Property Tax

Truth-in-Taxation Seminar Schedule
During July and August, Texas Comptroller Susan Combs’ Property Tax Assistance Division (PTAD) will conduct 17 regional seminars to explain the laws that local government taxing units must follow when adopting 2009 property tax rates. New for this year, attendees may pre-register for the seminar of their choice. Use the registration form www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/proptax/tnt09registration.pdf and return it to the PTAD by June 30. The regional seminars are still free of charge. Registration is required to guarantee receiving a copy of the Truth -in- Taxation publication and presentation slides. [ View Article ] Jul 2, 2009, 08:41

Katy ISD Rejects Resolution Of Support For New Fort Bend Appraisal District Office
The ongoing effort by the Fort Bend County Central Appraisal District to garner support to build a new $6.4 million office facility in Rosenberg took another blow during Tuesday night’s Katy ISD board meeting. [ View Article ] Jul 2, 2009, 07:45

Coahoma ISD: Taxes Going Up?
School administrators in Coahoma are deciding whether or not to increase the tax rate for next school year. Superintendent Randy Brown says that they won't be making a decision before August. That's when appraised values come in. [ View Article ] Jul 1, 2009, 07:45

Beeville County: BISD board to mull school district merger
Beeville ISD Trustee Tom Beasley believes he and his colleagues on the board should at least discuss the consolidation of the four school districts in Bee County.On Monday, he’ll get his wish.The Beeville ISD board of trustees will meet at noon to discuss how they should go about researching the issue of consolidating independent school districts. [ View Article ] Jun 30, 2009, 07:45

S.A. schools miffed at bailouts for others
San Antonio-area school officials aren't happy with Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott sending $24 million to bail out a select few districts that reward homeowners with a special tax break. [ View Article ] Jun 29, 2009, 08:25

Irving: School board gets preliminary budget, ponders prospect of tax hike
The highs and lows of district finances were on display at last night's school board meeting. First a group of developers sang the praises of the district's continuing participation in the Irving Tax Increment Finance District, or TIF. [ View Article ] Jun 29, 2009, 07:53

Coahoma ISD may raise taxes
A combination of lower property valuations and increased bond payments will force school trustees here to consider increasing the tax rate for the coming budget year. Randy Brown, superintendent of Coahoma Independent School District, said those two factors are forcing district trustees to consider a tax hike rate of 12 cents per $100 valuation for the new budget year, which starts in September. [ View Article ] Jun 29, 2009, 07:45

Cy-Fair ISD keeps tax break, but cuts jobs
Optional Homestead! Homeowners in the Cypress-Fairbanks school district will keep their special tax break, and about 75 employees will lose their jobs, the school board decided Thursday. Superintendent David Anthony had recommended cutting the optional homestead exemption in half to 10 percent to try to ensure the district’s longterm financial stability and give all employees a raise. But the board voted 5-1 to keep the exemption at 20 percent, after being flooded with complaints from residents who wanted that tax break. “It balances the budget for this year only,” the district’s attorney, Marney Collins-Sims, said in an interview after the board’s vote on the $687 million budget. “We know we’re going to grow, so we’re going to have to take action next year to balance the budget.” [ View Article ] Jun 26, 2009, 08:39

Cy-Fair ISD Votes on Homestead Exemption
Optional Homestead! Homeowners in the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District are breathing a sigh of relief. The school board voted Thursday night not to revoke the long-time optional homestead exemption to make up for a budget shortfall. Instead, the district will make major budget cuts. Several weeks ago Superintendent Dr. David Anthony proposed using the money made from raising property taxes ... [ View Article ] Jun 26, 2009, 08:39

S.A. schools are miffed at bailouts for others
Optional Homestead! AUSTIN — San Antonio-area school officials aren't happy with Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott sending $24 million to bail out a select few districts that reward homeowners with a special tax break. It means, in effect, that San Antonio homeowners and others in Texas who don't receive the optional homestead tax exemption are subsidizing those who do, North East ISD Superintendent Richard Middleton said. “This is a clarion call to reform the entire system,” said Middleton, who wants the Legislature to undertake a study on the use of property taxes. “Everything needs to be on the table for review, every exemption.” [ View Article ] Jun 26, 2009, 08:39

Districts get subsidy but also criticism
Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott has set off a heated debate after deciding last week to give extra state dollars to a select group of school districts — those that have opted to give homeowners a special tax break. The cash-strapped Cypress-Fairbanks school district will be the biggest winner, pocketing $6.2 million. Scott, at the urging of state Sen. Dan Patrick, took advantage of a little-known and rarely invoked state law that allows him to spend state money subsidizing districts such as Cy-Fair that grant an optional homestead exemption. The Cy-Fair school board is expected to decide tonight whether to continue offering the tax break. That law, passed in 1999, now is drawing criticism from some school leaders who say it’s unfair for the state to help certain districts while leaving behind the 80 percent without the exemption. [ View Article ] Jun 25, 2009, 08:38

River Road may see tax hike
River Road property owners could see a higher tax bill this year, based on a budget recently adopted by the school board. The school board plans to levy a tax rate of $1.35 per $100 of taxable property value, up about 3 cents per $100 from last year. The increase will go toward paying off the district's debt. Average home values have risen from $97,001 to $99,200 in the River Road Independent School District. The increase would result in a tax bill $56.75 higher, from $1,079.95 last year to $1,136.70 this year. At the same time, the district's budget is growing by 3 percent and includes a deficit of nearly $300,000. But school officials said they had few options given the increased costs for state-mandated raises, opening a fourth campus and inflation, such as for food and utilities. And River Road does not receive as much money per student as its neighboring districts, officials have said. While Amarillo, Bushland and Highland Park will receive from $5,000 to more than $6,000 per student, River Road will take in $4,988 per student. [ View Article ] Jun 25, 2009, 08:23

Splendora: SISD plans to lower property tax rate
SPLENDORA – The Splendora Independent School District is considering lowing the property tax rate 19 cents for 2009-10. The board is expected to approve a tax rate of $1.32 per $100 property valuation in August. But Tuesday night, trustees approved the 2009-10 budget at $28.129 million, the second year in a row the district has had a budget “in the black,” SISD Superintendent Thomas Price said. “One of the things we started working on a few years ago was getting that back in line,” Price said about balancing the budget. For the previous eight years, the SISD operated on a deficit, Price said. [ View Article ] Jun 25, 2009, 07:45

The Texas Property Tax
The Texas Tax Code is comprised of 603 pages, not including an 88-page index. With that in mind, taxpayer confusion is probable, if not a bit logical, especially to those who do not understand county government and its forced dependence on the property tax. When it comes down to it, maybe we need to use some logic of our own. For example, how can we expect constituents to understand county government and the property tax if we’ve never taken the time to explain it to them? [ View Article ] Jun 25, 2009, 07:37

Austin trustees maintain current tax rate; Wiley Middle School wins visit from Michael Phelps
Trustees elect to keep same tax rate as 2008-09 The Austin school board voted Monday to adopt a maximum tax rate of $1.079 per $100 of assessed property value for maintenance and operations, and $0.123 per $100 of value for debt service. The rate, if approved, would be the same as was adopted for 2008-09. The board also voted to hold a public hearing Aug. 17 on the rate and the proposed 2009-10 budget [ View Article ] Jun 24, 2009, 08:32

Optional Homestead Exemption
Commissioner Scott’s decision to give any additional financial support to the districts offering an Optional Homestead Exemption is unfair and inequitable. These districts made a voluntary, local decision to offer an additional tax break to their homeowners. The State is now subsidizing that decision at least for the 2009 tax year. Jun 23, 2009, 08:37

Billions in commercial value kept off tax rolls in Texas because appraisal districts can't get sales prices
Commercial property is always, always undervalued on the books. Very rarely is it over valued. That is exactly why they’re opposed. This is driven by people who don’t want the commercial sales disclosure.” -- Peter Urrutia, spokesman for the Dallas area's MetroTex Association of Realtors. The fact that the El Paso City Council agreed last month to pay $2.7 million for a former grocery store property that was on the tax rolls for $780,000 may illustrate a problem that costs El Paso taxpayers millions and Texas taxpayers billions each year. Locally, the problem is the potential gap between the El Paso Central Appraisal’s District’s valuations for commercial properties and their higher market. While not everyone believes the 7.3-acre Furrs site behind Northpark Mall in Northeast El Paso was worth $2.7 million, had it been bought privately for that much, the $2 million disparity between the CAD valuation and the sales price would have remained secret. That is because Texas is one of a handful of states that don't require the disclosure of sales prices for homes or commercial properties to public appraisal and taxing entities. [ View Article ] Jun 23, 2009, 08:31

Sherman Independent School District approves tax rate
After a year of financial turmoil, the Sherman School Board happily approved a balanced budget for the 2009-2010 school year. More than 20 Sherman ISD administrator and teacher positions -- among other budgetary costs -- were eliminated or not replaced in order to balance the 2009-10 budget. A failed rollback election in October 2008 propelled a string of difficult decisions by the school board and administrative staff to compensate for a $1.8-million budget shortfall. [ View Article ] Jun 23, 2009, 07:45

Tarrant appraisal challenges
FORT WORTH — Erlinda De Jesus bought a foreclosed home in southwest Fort Worth in November for $72,000 and was surprised to see the Tarrant Appraisal District valued it two months later at $106,300. De Jesus is among more than 75,000 property owners challenging their property assessments this year. The number of protests filed so far this year is up 18 percent compared with last year, mostly because of an increase in residential property protests, appraisal officials said. De Jesus, a Fort Worth landlord, said he bought the 1,590-square-foot house as a rental unit. [ View Article ] Jun 22, 2009, 07:46

Cedar hill: CHISD taxes to drop a cent, maybe twice
A penny for your thoughts, and a penny less on your taxes, is the word from the Cedar Hill Independent School District. CHISD Chief Financial Officer Mike McSwain gave the Cedar Hill School Board this and other financial information at the board's June 8 meeting. [ View Article ] Jun 22, 2009, 07:45

Formal protests: Angelina County property owners file hundreds of forms indicating intent to argue; chief appraiser welcomes visits
Angelina County residents and business owners have filed several hundred forms indicating their intent to protest the appraised values of their property, according to the county's chief appraiser. The Angelina County Appraisal District had received around 500 protest forms by Friday afternoon, Jerry Hogg said, and more were likely on the way via the mail. Thursday was the deadline to file property value protests in Texas, but the local Appraisal Review Board will still consider mailed protests postmarked by that day. The amount of protests filed this year represents a higher number than average for Angelina County. Hogg, who joined the district last year, attributed the jump to the district's adjustment of property to market value this year. [ View Article ] Jun 22, 2009, 07:43

Our Sponsors

Our Sponsors