Some homeowners frustrated by Tarrant Appraisal District's new website
FORT WORTH (CBSNewsTexas.com) — Like so many people these days, Kirk Popovici of Fort Worth wasn't happy to find out how high his property appraisal jumped from last year.
"I was shocked at how much it went up," Popovici said. "It was a painfully slow site, and in this day-and-age, when we're paying so much in taxes, it's kind of ironic that the device we're using to look it up is so slow and inefficient."
And he's not alone.
Popovici took a screen shot earlier in the day when he called that same property, and it showed the 2023 values weren't available.
"The first thing is having this website functional in a way people can use it, and we're not there yet," he said. "I think things have improved this week, but we're not there yet."
In a statement to CBS News Texas, the appraisal district acknowledged its site is running slower than they'd like and that it times out for some customers.
The district said it's happened because more than 235,000 people have used the site this week. Others have said they haven't been able to log into their accounts at all.
The district says it created the new site to improve security measures, which now includes two-factor authentication.
If property owners want to file a protest online, the district said they will now need to create a new account and not use the same log-in information from prior years. It also said it's adding instructions on its website to help.
Those who can't get into their property accounts online can still file for protests in person or through mail. The deadline to file a protest or to challenge a property appraisal is May 15.
The issues come as the Tarrant Appraisal District's Chief Appraiser Jeff Law is under increasing pressure to address a number of concerns laid out in this letter by the Board on April 10.
Letter of Repair by CBS 11 News on Scribd
Among the concerns, board members told Law they expect him to, "Ensure that all Tarrant Appraisal District computer systems and website[s] work properly and in compliance with statutory requirements, and that any deficiencies are fixed in a timely manner and communicated to the public."
The Board's letter to Law also mentioned that the district's old website had problems as well, and that "many aspects of the website were unavailable during the last few months of 2022, and the early part of 2023. This was due to a security upgrade."
Law was unavailable for an interview Friday, but during an interview with CBS News Texas last month, he said he wanted to make improvements. "I want to make changes. I want to make sure people trust us."
While the Board said many aspects of the Tarrant Appraisal District are operating well and at a very high level, they gave Law 90 days to correct the issues stated in the letter.
"Failure to resolve these issues may result in further corrective action up to and including dismissal."
Last month, State Representative Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth), filed a bill that, if passed, would abolish the Tarrant Appraisal District.
And while the legislation has been referred to the House Ways and Means committee, it has not received a hearing.