Posted on 04/02/2005 10:57:23 AM PST by anymouse
Friendswood school district and appraisal district officials on Friday defended a meeting they had last year that resulted in higher property appraisals for residents in six subdivisions.
Both Ken Wright, the appraisal district’s chief appraiser, and school Superintendent Trish Hanks said the meeting was to ensure the school district did not lose state funding because property in its boundaries had been under-appraised.
Hanks, other officials and three school board members met with Wright last year, presenting him with records of home sales indicating the appraisal district had undervalued real estate in the school district.
Hanks said school officials wanted to avoid a repeat of 2001, when the district nearly lost $1.3 million in state funding after routine checks by the state comptroller revealed property in the district was not appraised at market value.
The district prevailed on appeal but at a cost of $130,000.
Hanks said the school board directed her to meet with Wright in response to figures from the school district’s tax office indicating that the comptroller could again slap the district.
The meeting followed other discussions with members of Wright’s staff.
“We wanted assurance from him that he would supervise this review and assurances they would stand by the numbers and they would be good numbers,” Hanks said.
Tax critics have argued the meeting showed collusion between the school district and appraisal district to maximize revenues on the backs of local taxpayers. Under Texas’ tax system, local governments set tax rates but leave property appraisals to independent appraisal districts.
In 2004, the preliminary tax rolls showed a 6 percent increase in the value of property within the school district. That lags behind the 7 to 11 percent growth in the district in recent years.
The values were adjusted, and residents of six subdivisions saw their values increase.
Wright said the school district provided data on property sales that the appraisal district initially had not known about.
But after the meeting, Wright penned a letter to Hanks saying, “I am disappointed that we could not meet your expectations with regard to value increase, but assure you … that we are making every effort to maintain an equitable and uniform appraisal roll.”
Tax critics have seized on the letter as evidence that the school district pressured the appraisal district, with higher tax bills being the result.
Wright on Friday said that was not the case.
“They knew their area,” he said. “The building boom was still going on. The market was still hot, and they asked the question ‘Why is it 6 percent this year?’
“There’s no vast conspiracy. They were concerned we didn’t have those sales, and we did not.”
County Tax Assessor-Collector Cheryl Johnson said the school district should have challenged the appraisals in an open process rather than meeting privately with Wright.
“What it appears is that they were unduly influencing the appraisal district to increase values,” she said. “Was that their intention? I’m sure they’re claiming it was not, but it certainly appears that way. The end result of all this is the people don’t trust anybody, and that’s not where we want to be.”
Ping.
It is even worse when they collude separately! :-)
I see that you have appointed yourself to head up the office of redundancy department. ;)
Each and every time. Ooops!
School districts are not happy unless they can riase your property taxes 10% a year. 50% for all school tax dollars never make it into the class room.
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