This is that dreaded time of the year when property appraisals come out from the appraisal district to your mailbox. This year is no exception and there is a mix of feelings and concerns about the appraised values of the properties throughout Milam County. Each election, two of the main topics of discussion are taxes and water, yet the appraisal districts and the groundwater conservation districts tend to be the two least understood offices throughout the state.
To discuss them both would take up more column inches than the local papers will allow me, but as appraisals have been the subject most people want to discuss with me these last few weeks, I figured I would spend a little time discussing a few things about the appraisal district. The Milam Appraisal District is not an organization of Milam County government, they make initial appraisals based on a formulaic method, and they will do a case-by-case analysis if you file a protest.
Plainly put, the Milam Appraisal District and the government of Milam County are separate organizations. The Milam Appraisal District is a state-established, independent governmental structure not affiliated with any taxing entity in the county. The taxing authorities (counties, cities, school districts, ESDs, etc.) are all clients of the appraisal district. While these entities throughout the state do vote to appoint the board of directors to the various appraisal districts and do pay for the appraisal services, these entities are clients of these appraisal districts. So, there is no direct control of the appraisal district by the county nor any other governmental body that the appraisal districts provide appraised values for.
Each year, the state puts out a mandated system for the formulaic calculation of the appraised values of property throughout the state; the Milam Appraisal District is no exception. Simply put, there is a mathematical equation that considers periodic property evaluations, property size, location, other property values as set through property sales, changes in land-use, and other growth-related factors that plug into the state-mandated formula. So, the initial property appraisals are generated based on computed formulas that really have no human influence at all.
As property owners, after receiving the appraised value, you have to decide if that value is valid. That’s when you check on your exemptions or file a protest. First off, check your appraisal for any exemptions that might be missing. If the exemptions are in order, then it’s time to file a protest. Now, remember this, a protest is NOT a bad thing, it’s simply a part of the process and in many cases it’s the initial time you’ll actually have human eyes set on your property evaluation for that year.
I hate that they call it a protest as it conjures up extreme measures for most people, but it’s honestly just a part of the process and often will result in significant relief of the appraised value. So don’t be deterred by the thought of a protest, our new Chief Appraiser has assured me that they are working on streamlining the protestation process and working to make things easier for people.
As a homeowner and a taxpayer in Milam County, I can assure you that I, myself, have been through the process and while it may seem like a daunting task to complete, it really isn’t that difficult. Twice in nearly 20 years I have had to have an exemption reapplied and once I had to protest; otherwise, I have been okay with my appraised values (not always happy, but OK).
I have spoken with several folks over the last week or so and I would ask everyone to keep in mind the following going forward; the appraisal district is not a part of county government, the initial figures of the appraised values are calculated with a state-mandated formula, and that it is okay to file a protest as a normal (and expected) part of the process.
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