If the appraisal value on your non-exempt residential and commercial property has increased and you want to protest the increase, or if you have not seen your tax statement, below is a process for you to follow.
Taxpayers must obtain 2017 Notice of Tax Appraisal for immediate reviews. 2017 Protests of Valuations must be mailed to the appropriate tax district not later than May 31, 2017. Failure to do so will result in your rights to protest your property values until May of 2018. According to the appraisal districts, it is the taxpayer's responsibility to obtain their tax statement. Tax Statements may be received by one of the following methods:
- You may receive a Tax Statement in the mail prior to May 31, 2017.
- You may visit your local Property Tax office or annex and request a copy.
- You may visit your local Property Tax website and obtain a copy if published.
- You may call your local Property Tax office or annex and request a copy by email or facsimile.
Protest forms are available for Bell County (Bellcad.org) and Coryell County (Coryellcad.org) but must be obtained in person for Lampasas County at 109 E. 5th St. in Lampasas. Following are some suggestions for protesting your tax valuation:
- Send your protest certified return receipt AND regular mail, keep a copy of the proof of certified mail AND a copy of the dispute.
- On the protest form, check ALL reasons you may want to protest. If you do not check a reason for protest, you cannot later bring that reason up at the hearing.
- Follow up on every future correspondence you receive from the tax office regarding that complaint. Responses should be in writing and mailed certified return receipt and first class mail. Keep a copy of all correspondence.
- If you agree to an informal conversation to discuss the dispute, PRESERVE your right to protest to the ARB by filing your notice of protest before the deadline.
- DO NOT AGREE to any amount less that you ask for in value. You can agree to compromise for a specified amount but do so while maintaining that you do not agree to the value. Once you agree to the value you cannot undo the damage if you decide you are unhappy with the value in the future. This may be very important if values go down in the future.
If you would like more information about this process, please send a request to protest2017taxes@yahoo.com.