When is the last time you purchased groceries at HEB with your Notice of Appraised Value? While those notices might bring momentary elation from a sense of increased wealth, the reality is that your property tax liability may continue to skyrocket unless your elected officials roll back tax rates below the Effective Tax Rates.
If you are planning on staying in and keeping your present home, please consider protesting the values assigned to your property by the Williamson County Appraisal District (WCAD).
The more who protest the current market valuation, the more likely those protests will be effective. Protesting is the most immediate action you can take to attempt to lower your property tax bill in October.
The only other actions for lowering property taxes are:
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- electing city council and school board members who will reduce spending and set tax rates BELOW the EFFECTIVE TAX rate
- preventing passage of Leander and LISD bond packages (especially those loaded with pork to satisfy a variety of special interest groups) which use your home as collateral for repayment.
- electing state legislators who will pass substantive property tax reform.
The current property tax trend is unsustainable. If you do not protest, you will likely increasingly see some neighbors taxed out of their homes and/or their houses converted to rental properties. It will also result in homeowners, especially those on fixed incomes or living on the margin, not being able to properly maintain and repair their homes and fences.
Protesting is simple. Follow the instructions on your 2018 Notice of Appraised Value and 2018 Notice of Protest from WCAD. Protest Filing Deadline: May 2
Protests can be initiated online, in-person, or by mail. As a starting point, you may want to consider a valuation at or below the 2017 Appraised Value.
Make it a team initiative and encourage your neighbors to file protests by the deadline.
Otherwise, you may need to shred that Notice and mix with an extra cup of milk before serving it up for breakfast.