News: Property Tax News*

Starting in January 2010, the Comptroller’s Property Tax Assistance Division (PTAD) will begin performing Methods and Assistance Program (MAP) reviews of approximately half of all CADs. School districts located in counties that do not receive reviews in a year will be subject to property value studies in that year.

The Comptroller has posted the 2009 Truth-In-Taxation Guide for School Districts to its website. For more details, please view full article.

From Comptroller's Office: Texas Comptroller Susan Combs today announced changes to ensure efficiency and transparency in her agency’s property tax functions and provide much-needed assistance to appraisal districts. Combs has renamed the Property Tax Division the Property Tax Assistance Division.

From Amarillo Globe News: Amarillo Independent School District voters were among the first this year to be called to the polls. Amarillo ISD asked voters for a 4-cent increase in the property tax rate for operating expenses, which was offset by an equal drop in the tax rate for debt relief. The measure passed Tuesday with 54 percent of the vote.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram Editorial: "In May, there was a lot of talk in Austin about the possibility that the state would enjoy a budget surplus of more than $10 billion next year. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who was in Washington, D.C., last week to push for federal money to help the state recover from Ike, has a different view of the financial picture..."

The AG opinion states "...a person meeting the other requirements of chapter 313 who owns such qualified property--building or other improvement or tangible personal property--is eligible to apply for a limitation on the appraised value of the person's qualified property irrespective of whether the person owns or leases the land on which the qualified property is to be placed."

From the Houston Chronicle: "A growing number of Texas school districts are asking voters to agree to tax rate increases this year to cover employee raises, greater fuel costs and rising utility bills. School boards in Austin and Corpus Christi made the decision this week to seek property tax hikes. In the Houston area, the Alief, Humble and North Forest boards are considering following suit."

The House Research Organization issued an interim report on August 20th with respect to the first school closures to take place under the Texas accountability system and what other states are considering as far as property tax circuit breakers. Please view the full report for more details.