Travis Central Appraisal District
First-ever opportunity to elect appraisal board members
Right now local voters are of course focused on the Super Tuesday primary elections of March 5th, but another election two months later should...
Trust, but verify
We would like to think people in our nation’s highest offices adhere to the highest ethical principles.Yet recent news reports have exposed U.S. Supreme...
Announcing the Government Accountability Project
Local officials manage government organizations that spend billions of our tax dollars. They should always act in the public interest—not for personal profit. We...
Lawsuit Seeks Property Tax Hearings
Chief appraiser moves to prevent discovery, motions to compel hearings set for ThursdayA lawsuit claims that scores of property owners were denied their legal...
Homestead Exemptions a Tax Loophole
Appraisal district processing relies mostly on homeowners statements, not scrutiny.
Homestead Exemptions Rife With Abuse
Pablo Ornelas Jr. is being hit this month with a sudden increase in property taxes totaling more than $18,000 that he must pay by January 31 or face stiff penalties and steep interest charges. Still, it’s hard to complain when he enjoyed an improper tax break for 15 years on one of the homes he owns.
Appraisal District To End Records Suppression
The Board of Directors of the Travis Central Appraisal District last night picked a new chief appraiser and adopted a new policy to end the longstanding practice of suppressing public records in TCAD’s online searchable appraisal roll for anyone who asked.
Appraisal Records Hidden From Public View
Nearly 1,400 records of properties located in Travis County have been purged from the website for owners who do not qualify for confidentiality. While the numbers of records being suppressed now make up only a tiny fraction of the records maintained by the agency, the numbers would no doubt be far higher if more property owners were aware of this option.
