Local government officials in a Texas county are fielding concerns from residents who were caught off guard by recent spikes in their property appraisal values.
In late April, the Hidalgo County Appraisal District mailed out notices to 158,000 property owners, informing them that their property values had increased — some by $20,000 or more. That means higher property taxes, and someone facing a $20,000 increase in the value of his home could pay about $600 more in annual property taxes, according to Hidalgo County Tax Assessor and Collector Paul Villarreal.
This has many residents flooding the county with phone calls and letters. One property owner even called the Hidalgo County Appraisal District to threaten to “break the windows and burn buildings to protest.”
By law, Hidalgo County property owners’ taxable value can increase only by 10 percent in any given year. For example, if a house was valued at $100,000 last year and then appraised at $150,000 this year, the taxable value is $110,000. Next year, the taxable value would be $120,000, and so on until it reaches the appraised value.
The county appraisal district’s chief appraiser, Rolando Garza, recently answered questions from county commissioners about the property owner’s concerns. According to local TV station KRGV-TV, officials have cited an influx of Mexican nationals into the region as a contributing factor to the increase.
Garza told commissioners that the county used three methods to appraise property: The sale price of the properties, the income approach and the cost approach. The county usually examines what properties are selling for, he said.
Although the appraisal district sets property values, the issue of tax rates is beyond its control.
Homeowners may file a protest of an increased property valuation with the county. The Hidalgo County Appraisal District averages between 15,000 and 20,000 protests per year.
Located in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, Hidalgo County is the eighth-most populated county in Texas.