[This is a follow-up to the original blog entry I wrote on Friday]

Today I met with Will Wiggins, the assistant residential appraisal director at the Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD).  He is the lead designer of the new statistical model that is being used to appraise properties in Steiner Ranch (and nearby neighborhoods south of Steiner).  He's a likable gentleman, but her is a statistician who believes his numbers are very accurrate.  While I disagree with the accuracy of his numbers, I applaud his efforts to create a model that tries to capture everything.  Unfortunately, the model still needs some work and more input variables.  I am not convinced that comparing any house backing to a greenbelt in Steiner to any other one, regardless of neighborhood, is giving the proper valuations.  At this point, I do not have time to get into the nuts and bolts because I have to take all the information from my meeting with him today and revamp my material for Tuesday's property tax workshop.  I certainly encourage you to come out to the workshop, though, because the system has changed from last year and you'll want to know what you are going up against if you try to appeal this year.  I'll be addressing the new valuation model and how it compares to the previous method, why the land valuations have changed so much, what to expect if you appeal this year & how it varies from previous years, how to interpret this year's evidence pack, and more.