Search Results for: hcad

Two challengers emerge in At Large #5

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

After Jan Clark bowed out in At Large #5, incumbent CM Jack Christie was left with no opponents after he announced his intent to run for re-election. That lasted until yesterday. Early in the morning, this email hit my inbox. … Continue reading →

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County to challenge vacant lot appraisals

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a start. Harris County is challenging the local appraisal district’s valuation of vacant commercial land after a study it commissioned concluded the agency had undervalued those properties by more than 80 percent this year. The finding was based on … Continue reading →

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Another story on the huge inequities of our property tax system

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Houston Press returns to an old favorite. “I’ve been sued every year by [JW Marriott],” says Michael Amezquita, the fiery chief appraiser of the Bexar County Appraisal District, which is currently ­facing $10.3 billion in appraisal-reduction litigation compared to … Continue reading →

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Harris County threatens to sue Harris County Appraisal District

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

That headline may sound dry, but this is a big deal. Worried about the erosion of the tax base, county officials said Wednesday that they may consider suing the Harris County Appraisal District over concerns it is undervaluing certain business … Continue reading →

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From the “Tax breaks for me but not for thee” department

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

There are two types of people in Texas: Those for whom the tax code is written to favor, and everybody else. The Dallas Country Club, not a place usually thought of as needing a huge tax break, used a quirk … Continue reading →

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It’s going to be a good year for the tax assessor

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

That should make it a good year for the entities that depend on property tax revenues, as Loren Steffy notes. When Williams Tower sold for $412 million recently, the new owners may have expected a break on property taxes. After … Continue reading →

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Once again with sales price discolsure

Posted on August 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Loren Steffy returns to a familiar topic. By some estimates, Williams Tower could sell for as much as $475 million. When it comes to paying the taxes, though, the 64-story tower will be worth less than half that much. That’s … Continue reading →

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Better budget news

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

For the city. The city of Houston may have $21 million more in income in the coming fiscal year than it had planned on before Wednesday. That’s when it got the news that the Harris County Appraisal District projects that … Continue reading →

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Another item for the city’s legislative wish list

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Loren Steffy brings up a familiar issue that has added salience now as the city tries to deal with its long term finances. Across the city, prime office buildings are selling for far more than their tax values, leaving billions … Continue reading →

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Harris County property appraisals dip a little

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

This is what counts as good news these days. The appraised value of property countywide has declined slightly, according to numbers released Thursday, but not nearly on the scale of last year’s 3 percent plunge that translated into tens of … Continue reading →

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Property values decline again

Posted on May 1, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Oddly, this is good budget news in the “we were expecting it to be worse” category. Local governments and school districts this year will suffer a second-straight year of sliding property tax revenues — their main source of revenue — … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of Tax Assessor race

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Sometimes, the difference between two candidates is especially clear. Don Sumners has been complaining about government for so long that the Republican’s slogan for his campaign for tax assessor-collector is “I was tea party before tea party was cool.” Elect … Continue reading →

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Property values declining

Posted on March 22, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. The housing slump that has battered much of the country for two years finally has trickled down to Harris County, where residential property values have declined or stagnated for the first time … Continue reading →

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Interview with Diane Trautman

Posted on August 27, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve been a fan of Diane Trautman since she ran for State Rep. in HD127 last time, where she significantly outperformed the rest of the Democratic slate in that red district. I’m thrilled that since she’s running countywide for the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Appraisal lawsuits

Posted on August 14, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

HCAD wants more money to do battle with those who don’t like their tax bills. Skyrocketing commercial property values have led to costly court battles for the Harris County Appraisal District, prompting its leaders to propose increasing its budget to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Casey on the appraisal problem

Posted on June 22, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Casey devotes a column to the HISD versus HCAD situation, and points to the obvious solution. Texas is one of only five states that doesn’t require that sales prices of real estate be reported to the state. The government … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | 5 Comments

Commercial valuation baloney

Posted on May 28, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

This story about commercial property valuations rising is no surprise, but there’s a staggering piece of baloney in it that really needs a response. Commercial property values in Harris County increased an average of 34 percent this year amid a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | 2 Comments

Early overview of the Tax Assessor race

Posted on May 8, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

The first thing you have to come to grips with in discussing the race for Harris County Tax Assessor is that Paul Bettencourt got almost 25,000 more votes than George W. Bush did in Harris County in 2004. No other … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2008 | 6 Comments

The land for Dynamo Stadium

Posted on January 14, 2008 by Charles Kuffner

This story about the city’s letter of intent to buy land east of downtown on which a future Dynamo Stadium will be built raises a lot of questions. The city could spend up to $20 million to buy six downtown … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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An HISD threefer

Posted on September 20, 2007 by Charles Kuffner

So much HISD news, so little time… HISD shorted out of tax revenue, state says The Harris County Appraisal District undervalued commercial and apartment property in 2005 and 2006, shorting the Houston Independent School District millions of dollars in tax … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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