KXAN Austin ran a story on the Travis Central Appraisal District last night. You can watch (or read) the story here. The part I found most interesting was about the nepotism KXAN uncovered. As it turns out, two members of the Appraisal District's Board of Directors had relatives serving on the Appraisal Review Board (ARB). The ARB is supposed to be neutral, but it is a bit difficult to do that when you share a home address with a member of one side of the argument. I'm not posting excerpts here for copyright … [Read more...]
Archives for May 2011
New Property Tax Appraisal Method for Steiner Ranch
[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 … [Read more...]
2011 Property Tax Assessment Protest Workshop
Once again this year I will be hosting a workshop on how to protest your property tax appraisal. It is scheduled for May 17, 2011, at 7:00pm in Steiner Ranch at the Towne Square Community Center. If you attended last year, you'll need to come again this year because Travis County has changed the way they assessed the properties in the Steiner Ranch area. If you think your 2011 Travis County Property Tax Assessment is too high, them come out on to find out what to do. RSVP requested, but not required. You can … [Read more...]
What’s Up with the Property Tax Appraisals in Steiner Ranch?
If you live in Steiner Ranch, you've likely received your 2011 property tax appraisal from the Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD). When you opened it, you were most likely either pleasantly surprised or totally miffed. It seems that this year the valuations are either notably under market value or notably over market value. Thanks to a Steiner resident who called me after meeting with TCAD today, I have uncovered what has happened. Let me clearly disclose that I am just getting to understand it and, as of … [Read more...]