Don't blame the appraisal district for your rising property taxes in Hays County! Each Spring, property owners in Hays County, Texas receive their appraisal notices from the Hays County Central Appraisal District. These notices usually launch yet another season of myths and misconceptions about property taxes.
It’s important for taxpayers to arm themselves with a basic understanding of the property tax system. The two factors used to calculate the property taxes you pay are your property value, times your tax rate.
Tax rates, the primary instrument of taxation, are adopted each year by the local taxing units in which you live.
In metropolitan areas, all property owners will pay taxes to at least five local taxing units: the county, community college, a county hospital if there is one, the city, and the school district.
Some will also pay taxes to a water district or other special districts in the county such as fire and EMS services.
By the end of September, almost all local taxing units must adopt their operating budgets for the coming year and a tax rate that will produce enough revenue to fund the budget.
Now, let’s do a quick re-cap here: in the springs, the appraisal district sends out individual appraisals notices to the property owners in Hays county.
In addition, the appraisal district notifies each taxing jurisdiction of the estimated appraisal values for the entire tax roll in that jurisdiction.
Each taxing jurisdiction has an elected or appointed board who is tasked with not only setting the budget each year, but also setting the tax rate for the year. Remember, they already know the appraised value of the tax rolls when they set the tax rate during the fall, and they know if they’re going to be setting it at a rate that either raises, lowers or maintains the level of taxation on the average residence.
So the next time you receive your appraisal value in the mail and you’re worried that this is what is going to cause your property taxes to increase, don’t blame the appraisal district. The appraisal district is NOT in control of whether or not your property taxes are going to increase because it has no taxing authority and it doesn’t set the tax rate.
Who are the people who set the tax rate which is the ultimate controlling factor in whether or not your property tax bill increases? Remember, it’s the elected or appointed board members who represent you within each taxing jurisdiction.
The appraisal values are set first in the spring, then the tax rates are set in the fall. So when it comes to the property tax equation, the tax RATE is the controlling factor in whether or not the average property tax bill in a jurisdiction increases.
What can you do if you would like to have a voice as to whether or not your property taxes increase? Well, email your representatives within your local taxing unites. Encourage your neighbors to do the same. Also, start showing up to local meetings and speak up during public comment time. Don’t ever forget that these are the elected or appointed representatives whose job it is to represent YOU.
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