CCAD raises tax values

By LPR Staff
Editor/POST-REGISTER

The Caldwell County appraisal recently completed the 2006 reappraisals on Caldwell County properties. In many cases, those reappraisals resulted in a spike in appraised values.
According to a statement released last week by the appraisal district last week, most property values in Caldwell County increased. The increase

s, the district stated, are based on an appraisers” efforts to follow the real estate market.
“The State Comptroller”s Office performs a value study of the district”s values every year,” the statement read. “The district is required to adjust property values to stay with specific ranges of the market, as shown in the annual value study report.”
The increases averaged between a low of 5.7 percent in the Prairie Lea ISD to a 10 percent commercial property increase in Lockhart. Some taxpayers, though, have complained of increases in appraised value up to an exceeding 30 percent.
“A property owner has the right to appeal to the Caldwell County Appraisal Review Board on any disagreement with the property”s value, exemptions, ownership and other areas,” said chief appraiser Pete Islas.
The appraisal review board, more commonly called the “ARB,” is an independent panel of citizens responsible for hearing and settling protests from property owners who disagree with actions taken by the appraisal district. Notices mailed by appraisal district last week notifying owners of changes in valuation also include instructions on how and when to file a protest and a protest form. The deadline for filing a protest is generally 30 days after the notice was mailed, Islas said.
The notices, which were mailed out on May 10, include an estimated tax amount for 2006. The estimates are based on last year”s tax rates calculated against the new appraised values. However, during budget discussions, it is possible that county taxing entities will change the tax rates, possibly resulting in significant changes to those estimates.
Property owners who have not yet received notices are invited to contact the appraisal district at (512) 398-5550.