Tarrant County considers sweeping reforms to property tax appraisal process
FORT WORTH – Tarrant County homeowners could soon see significant changes to their property tax bills if the Tarrant Appraisal District Board gives final approval to reforms it approved earlier this week.
The board voted for changes to the current appraisal process to provide relief for homeowners. The proposed reforms include freezing residential property values until 2026 and then appraising them every other year instead of annually. This would give homeowners a break between appraisal years.
"In theory, people won't have to protest in the off year," said Joe Don Bobbitt, Chief Appraiser for the Tarrant Appraisal District. "It kind of gives people a break. They won't have to come in and argue with us, save them some time, save us some work."
However, this does not mean tax bills won't increase, as tax rates are set by cities and school districts. Different types of properties could see varying impacts.
"The intent is for it to be beneficial to the homeowners, but if you have a homestead cap, I don't think you'll see that benefit for a year or two," Bobbitt said. "For rental properties, I think they'll see that impact this coming year."
New construction would still be subject to yearly appraisal.
"If you're adding on a room or installing a swimming pool or if you own vacant land and build a house, all of that is going to be a brand new valuation every year," said realtor Chandler Crouch, who has worked with thousands of Tarrant County homeowners to protest their home valuations.
The second proposed change would place a higher burden of proof on appraisers if they want to raise property values by more than five percent. The district would have to present "clear and convincing evidence" for such an increase.
"My thought on this is, well, good for them, but then that's what it should have been all along," Crouch said. "Instead of saying, hey, let's just raise all the values and leave it up to the homeowners to protest and get the value back down. Now, the appraisal district says you have to be sure that they deserve a value increase, otherwise, you better not increase it."
Crouch believes these changes make Tarrant County one of the most taxpayer-friendly counties in the state. "My hat is off to them, this was a historic moment," he said. "Until our tax laws are changed on the state level, all the only hope we have is to have these strong leaders locally to do what they can to take the edge off of it."
Vince Puente, chairman of the Tarrant Appraisal District Board, says these measures show their commitment to helping people struggling with their tax bills.
"What we're trying to do is to help the taxpayer, but we want to help the taxpayer without hurting the entities," Puente said. "That's a balance to be struck. It's complicated. But what I want the taxpayers to know is that the board of directors, whether it's the public or the entity-appointed members, we're serving the community. That's ultimately what it's about. And if we can help bring relief to the taxpayer, we want to do that now."
The reforms are not yet final. Bobbitt and staff members at the appraisal district will now work to include the changes the board wants into a reappraisal plan. It will be presented to the board in August and will need another vote for final approval.
