INTERIM HEARINGS ON PROPERTY TAX ISSUES PICK UP STEAM
Four interim legislative committees are studying appraisals and/or property tax limitations. (For a detailed discussion of the committees and their charges, please see “Speaker of the House…” in the April 30, 2008, edition of the TML Legislative Update). Those committees are about to get very busy. A subcommittee of the Senate Finance Committee (the Subcommittee on Property Appraisal and Revenue Caps) will conduct a hearing at 10:00 a.m. on June 16, 2008, in Room E.1036 of the Capitol. The subcommittee will hear invited and public testimony regarding its charge to “review the property tax appraisal system, including the following:
- the duties and responsibilities of chief appraisers and appraisal districts;
- any abuses that occur in the appraisal process;
- the process of appointing the members of boards of directors of appraisal districts;
- the impact of adding members to the boards of directors of appraisal districts who are not appointed by the taxing jurisdictions of the district and methods for appointing these additional directors;
- the usefulness of information provided in a notice of appraised value;
- the impact of H.B. 1010, 80th Legislature, Regular Session, relating to appraisal districts crossing county lines;
- any benefit from requiring more uniformity in appraisal standards used by appraisal districts;
- any revisions to the property valuation appeal system that could reduce the cost of dispute resolution;
- the likelihood of, and any associated benefit from, increased compliance with the existing business personal property rendition law if chief appraisers are given limited audit authority.”
The House Select Committee on Property Tax Relief and Appraisal Reform has tentatively scheduled seven hearings across the state to take invited and public testimony “on the state’s Property Value Study and recommendations on how to improve the state’s current property appraisal system.” Exact times and locations have yet to be announced.
- June 17 – Travis County (the meeting will likely be held at the Capitol, although that is not confirmed)
- June 24 – Hidalgo County (the meeting will most likely be held at the McAllen convention center, although that isn’t confirmed)
- July 1 – Bexar County
- July 8 – Tarrant County
- July 15 – Jefferson County
- August 12 – Lubbock County
- August 19 – Harris County
Interested city officials should check the following link on the TML Web site, where updated information about hearing times, locations, and subject matter will be posted: http://www.tml.org/legislative_committee_hearings.html.
The League will keep its members informed of the meetings and deliberations of these committees.