Grimes County property values increase
ANDERSON – The Grimes Central Appraisal District will be mailing approximately 20,000 real property appraisal notices this year. The notices will reflect the market value of properties as of Jan. 1, 2023.
“The local market continues to remain strong, especially for rural acreage and rural residential properties,” said Chief Appraiser Mark Boehnke. “Our proximity to the greater Houston area, Montgomery County, Bryan-College Station, the completion of the SH 249 roadway and the strength of the regional economy continue to have a great impact on the local real estate market.”
Boehnke continues, “Once again this year, some of the increases reported by Appraisal Districts across the state are as high as 30 to 40% from 2021 through 2022.”
Under Texas law, appraisal districts are required to notify property owners regarding changes in their property values. The notice of appraised value contains important information about the property’s value, location, ownership, and property tax exemptions that apply to the property.
For the first time this year, the appraisal notice will not include an estimate of taxes. To provide greater transparency, Senate Bill 2 in the 2019 legislative session allowed for the removal of the estimated taxes and required the development of a website to provide property owners tax rate and tax rate adoption hearing details. The website, www. grimestaxes.org, is updated each year in August and September during the tax rate adoption process.
This website provides information concerning the property taxes that may be imposed on your property by local taxing units, the dates and locations of any public hearings on the tax rates of the taxing units, and the dates and locations of meetings of the governing bodies of the taxing units to vote on the tax rates, along with other important property tax information. “Our staff is always available to answer any questions concerning tax estimates,” said Boehnke.
Property owners who disagree with their appraised value, the exemptions or any other action by the appraisal district have the right to appeal to the Grimes Central Appraisal Review Board by filing a notice of protest.
The deadline for filing a notice of protest is May 15, or 30 days after the appraisal district mailed the notice of appraised value, whichever is later, according to Boehnke. Property owners who wish to file a notice of protest may use the form and follow the directions included in the appraisal notice packet.
Taxpayers are strongly encouraged to contact a member of the appraisal staff to see if their issue can be resolved on an informal basis before filing a notice of protest. Contact information for each staff member and a description of the areas assigned to individual appraisers can be found at www.grimescad.org The Appraisal Review Board (ARB) is an independent panel of citizens responsible for hearing and settling property owner protests. The notice of appraised value includes instructions on how and when to file a protest, a protest form and the Comptroller’s Property Taxpayer Remedies.
The Comptroller’s publication, Property Taxpayer Remedies, explains in detail how to protest an appraisal, what issues the ARB can consider and what to expect during a protest hearing. The publication also discusses the options of taking a case to District Court, the State Office of Administrative Hearings or binding arbitration when a taxpayer is dissatisfied with the outcome of an ARB Hearing.
Property Taxpayer Remedies is available from the appraisal district at 360 Hill Street in Anderson, Texas, as well as on the Comptroller’s Property Tax Assistance Division’s website at comptroller. texas.gov/taxes/property- tax/.
According to Boehnke, the ARB hearings will begin in June and the appraisal district will certify the final values to the local taxing units in late July. The taxing units will then adopt their tax rates in August and September and tax bills will be mailed in October.
Boehnke concludes, “Be prepared for sustained increases this year due to the extremely strong local real estate market. Also, some relief is provided for homesteaded properties that are protected by the 10% homestead cap on assessed value from the previous year and property owners with over-65 and disabled persons ceilings.”
The appraisal district staff is available to serve the public by phone, 936-873-2163, by fax, 936-873-2154, by email, gcad@grimescad.org, online, www.grimescad.org, or via mail, Grimes Central Appraisal District, P.O. Box 489, Anderson TX 77830, or in person at 360 Hill Street in Anderson. Office hours are Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m.