Free Republic

AUSTIN -- Republican Gov. Rick Perry said Friday that the one-third reduction in property taxes he helped push through the Legislature this spring could evaporate before Texans ever see it unless lawmakers rein in runaway increases in local property appraisals. "The downside, if we do not get ... some protections against these spiraling appraisals, is that the property tax relief that they were rightfully given this last year will slowly, if not quickly, be gobbled up," Perry said after giving a pep talk at the opening meeting of his special panel on property appraisal. The blue-ribbon panel, headed by former...

Gov. Rick Perry made a stop in Dallas on Monday to announce the creation of a task force he said would attempt to put the brakes on runaway property value increases that are straining family budgets statewide. He called the 15-member Texas Task Force on Appraisal Reform the second phase of his plan to bring property tax relief to Texans that began with a cut in school property tax rates enacted this year. "Now, we have to address the rest of that equation," he said. "This is the second piece of a very complex issue." Former Texas Republican Party Chairman...

The Game: Reduction of the homestead appraisal cap The Players: State Legislators (Government) –vs- Texas Homeowners The Score: Government 8 - Taxpayers 0 Through two legislative cycles, Texans were denied the opportunity to vote for or against reduction of the homestead appraisal cap. Three years – eight tries – no ballot proposition. Why? Special interest groups prevented this issue from being brought to the voters. Government professional associations (aka TML and TAC) convinced State officials that we truly don’t know what is good for us (meaning paying more taxes is good for us). Their voice was heard and yours was...

The longest-tenured city manager in Galveston County is resigning. Friendswood officials confirmed Wednesday that Ronald Cox would step down in April after years on the job. Cox met Friendswood Mayor Kimball Brizendine last week to inform him of his plan to resign. “It was a surprise to all of us,” said Brizendine. “We’ve been blessed to have had him for the last 15 years.” Cox shared the news with the city council in an executive session Monday and his resignation was announced to city employees Tuesday. The mayor said Cox would pursue opportunities as a private consultant for cities across...

Dramatic differences emerge leading to lively exchanges Four candidates are running to shape the future of Friendswood. Running for Position 2 are Lonnie Moffitt and John LeCour. Contestants for Position 5 are Kitten Brizendine and Chris Peden. All candidates’ positions were stated at the well attended forum at Village on the Park Friday, April 15. Fifteen issues, raised by the audience, were addressed. The program provided concise, descriptive statements of their positions showing sharp differences between various candidates’ liberal and conservative positions. The issues soliciting the most divergent opinions were taxes, City-funded development, zero-based budgeting, and the candidates’ vision for...

A June 2004 meeting between Friendswood school officials and the chief appraiser of the Galveston County Central Appraisal District was to keep the school district from losing state funding because under-appraised homes in six Friendswood subdivisions, said FISD superintendent Trish Hanks. The meeting has become fodder for Houston talk radio station KSEV and its Lone Star Times web site, with allegations that the district tried to bring unwarranted influence to bear on the appraisal district to boost property values and therefore permit a "stealth" tax increase. In the arcane process of property appraisal for tax purposes, Hanks said the state...

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...

GALVESTON — County leaders on Monday backed legislative proposals to curb property appraisal increases, but added a condition of their own. County Judge Jim Yarbrough proposed an amendment to ask state lawmakers to stop handing down unfunded mandates if they’re going to hinder the county’s ability to raise revenue. Several bills before the Legislature would lower the cap on homestead appraisals from 10 percent to 3 percent or 5 percent. Commissioner Ken Clark, the sole Republican on the commissioners court, proposed the resolution. It calls for support of a 3 percent cap on homestead appraisals. The cities of Bayou Vista,...

FRIENDSWOOD — A group had a pep-rally of sorts at a Friendswood pizza parlor Tuesday to encourage support for Gov. Rick Perry’s proposal to limit increases in taxable property values to no more than 3 percent annually. The group released what it said were numbers showing government officials do not pay their fare share when it comes to property taxes. Edd Hendee, a radio talk show host and executive director of Citizens Lowering Our Unfair Taxes, released figures indicating that the property values of Friendswood Mayor Kimball Brizendine, City Manager Ron Cox, council members such as Mel Measels and Laura...

State lawmakers this year are considering several proposals to lower the cap on property appraisal increases, and local officials have begun to take sides. Many others will be asked to do so by County Tax-Assessor Collector Cheryl Johnson. She asked city leaders of Friendswood, Galveston and the county commissioners court to endorse a proposal to lower the cap on homestead appraisal increases from 10 percent to 3 percent a year. What that would mean is the owner of a $100,000 home would see no more than a $3,000 increase in a single year, as compared to up to a $10,000...