Property taxes increase as values rise upwards of 200% in Coleman County

COLEMAN, Texas ( KTAB/KRBC ) – After new tax appraisals were mailed to Coleman County residents in June, many received a significantly higher value than the years past on their properties.

Resident Bob Ray, sees the new prices as an issue but wants to find a middle-ground solution.

“Some properties that were $100,000 are now $300,000. . .$500,000.  They tripled in assessed value, so we’re here today to discuss and look at maybe a more fair assessment and a way to curve some of the cost,” Ray said. “We’ve got to have a plan of strategy to address things.”

Residents and business owners alike are sharing the same fear of not being able to afford the new taxes. Vickie Arthur-Virden, a Coleman business owner, saw an increase of over 200% on her properties. She told KTAB/KRBC the increase of taxes on top of the increasing economy, there is a great fear Coleman will die as a city.

“Last year, my taxes doubled, and this year had to go up again, and all these people are on set incomes.  This is a small town with lower income so it could shut our city down,” Arthur-Virden said. “At first you’re able to pass that on without trying to raise prices so much. But then at some point, you start losing money.  It has to be passed on to your consumers, and that’s what supports it.”

County-wide taxes are appraised based on the needs of the local community, schools and hospitals. The Coleman County Appraisal Office said in the statement below that this was one of the main reasons residents saw their taxes raised ranging from 20% to 200%.

The following is a response statement from the The Coleman County Appraisal District:

“As Chief Appraiser, I had to make the tough decision of raising residential and land values throughout Coleman County for 2024.  The sales information contained within the 2023 Property Value Study shows that the overall values for residential properties were too low in Coleman County.  In fact, Coleman ISD will be losing a substantial amount of state funding this year due to the low residential values found in that study.  Texas law requires that the Appraisal Districts must value all property within their county at or near 100% of market value.  As Chief Appraiser, not only am I required to value properties at market value, but I am also required that those values be fair and uniform.

The appraisal notices were mailed on June 10, 2024.  With a staff of 4, which also includes me, we try to work with each property owner as best we can by first listening to their concerns, addressing homestead exemption and agricultural special use appraisal questions, and explain the homestead cap limitations and the new circuit breaker appraisal cap limitation.   The district contracts with a local outside appraisal firm from Abilene that helps us value the residential properties.  Those appraisers are returning calls for us and visiting with the property owners informally.  At the same time, for those property owners who disagree with their property’s value, we ask that they provide this office with photos of the exterior and interior of their structures and if recently purchased, a copy of the fee appraisal and/or closing documents.   We work the best we can with each individual and hope that we can resolve their appraisal issues and answer their questions within a few minutes.  If they do not provide us with the evidence we need to resolve their protests or we can’t work with the provided evidence to their satisfaction, then we schedule them with a hearing with the Appraisal Review Board.

Sincerely,

Eva Bush, Chief Appraiser

Coleman County Appraisal District”

Members of the community will be holding a Town Hall to have an open conversation about the issue hoping to spark some change and compromise with county officials. The Town Hall will take place at 3:30 p.m. at 241 South Houston St. Santa Anna Texas on Sunday, July 28.

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