H-E-B and Walgreens are among several retailers filing suit against the Jefferson County Appraisal District in Texas, claiming their stores have been appraised above their market value.
The appraised value of H-E-B’s property rose from $1.6 million in 2015 to $5.8 million for the 2016 tax year after the grocer built its new store on the former Baptist Hospital property. That means the company owes $137,000 in taxes, compared with $44,305 last year.
Walgreens, meanwhile, saw its tax bill increase $26,000, almost 30 percent, to more than $117,000 for its district locations.
In their separate lawsuits, filed Sept. 27, H-E-B and Walgreens asked that the county lower their appraised values using the equal and uniform statute, which permits challenges to appraised values based on similar properties.
“The Jefferson County Appraisal District has lawsuits like this every year,” District Chief Appraiser Angela Bellard told the Houston Chronicle. “There have been 23 similar suits filed this year with about half of the suits invoking the equal and uniform statute. The county appraises grocery stores and drug stores using a combination of construction costs and market value.”