Lee esta historia en español As Austin-area homeowners receive their latest property tax bills this winter, they should expect to see an increase. According to an analysis by the Travis County Tax Office, the average property tax bill this year for homeowners who live in their homes is $1,123 higher than last year, or about […]
Travis Central Appraisal District
The tax appraisal district for Travis County.
Posted inElections
Democrat-backed candidates sweep first Travis County appraisal election
Three candidates backed by the local Democratic Party won seats to the Travis Central Appraisal District’s board of directors, who help manage property appraisals. Jett Hanna, Shenghao “Daniel” Wang and Dick Lavine soundly defeated three others backed by the local Republican Party on Saturday, including Matt Mackowiak, chair of the party in Travis County, and Don […]
Posted inElections
Democrats vs. Republicans: First election coming for Travis Central Appraisal District board
Even though their party affiliations will not be on the ballot, three Democrats, three Republicans and a Libertarian are running for three seats on the Travis Central Appraisal District Board of Directors. That election on May 4 will be the first such election since passage of a law requiring that three of those directors be […]
Posted inHousing
Last year, your property appraisal went way up. This year (maybe) it’s down. What does it all mean?
If you own property in the Austin area, chances are you recently received your latest property appraisal. This number, known as your appraised value, is an estimate from the Travis Central Appraisal District of what your home would sell for in Austin’s current housing market. Last year, appraisals went up a whopping 50 percent on […]
Posted inHousing
Homes in Austin’s white neighborhoods are valued much higher than ones in communities of color
People of color in Austin can expect their homes to be worth nearly three times less than homes owned by white residents, according to a new report. Researchers with Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Illinois-Chicago found that, while the average appraised value of a home in a white neighborhood in Austin is $873,758, […]
Posted inBudget
Austin officials are deciding what property tax bills will look like. Here are some terms to know.
Later this week, the Austin City Council is expected to adopt its budget for the coming fiscal year, which includes how it plans to tax property owners. Some institutions that collect property taxes, like the Austin Independent School District, have already adopted their budgets. If you own property, this will affect how much you owe […]
Posted inAustin
Bird pays its bill
Although the city of Austin apparently enjoys a good working relationship with the scooter company Bird, the same could not be said for Travis County. Bird Rides Inc. appeared at No. 7 on Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector Bruce Elfant’s list of top 10 delinquent property owners. According to Elfant, as of Monday, the company owed Travis […]
Posted inHousing
The value of your Travis County home has gone up a lot. That doesn’t mean your property taxes will.
People who own property in the Austin area recently received new valuations from the local appraisal district. This number, known as your appraised value, estimates what your property would currently sell for in Austin’s record-breaking housing market. The appraisals are a lot higher than they were last year. According to the Travis Central Appraisal District, […]
Posted inHousing
As housing prices soar, corporations exploit legal paths to challenge appraisals
The Travis County Commissioners Court fielded a discussion Tuesday from the Travis Central Appraisal District that touched on a number of issues, from legislative outlook related to property appraisal reform to Austin’s meteoric growth and its effects on the state of the Austin housing market. Chief appraiser Marya Crigler presented TCAD’s findings to commissioners, starting with a […]
Posted inAustin
City’s efforts to educate seniors about reducing property tax delayed
The city of Austin has been working on finding ways to educate seniors about opportunities to reduce their property tax. The city is also developing a volunteer program that would allow seniors to offset a portion of the tax. But the pandemic and the severe winter weather in mid-February slowed down the effort. A 2019 City […]
Posted inAustin
TCAD stands out in not appraising property values this year
The Travis Central Appraisal District stands alone among six districts surveyed in its decision not to update property appraisals this year, according to a special report by the Austin city auditor. The failure to update property values has caused considerable angst among local governments, especially Travis County school districts. As the auditors reported, “In Texas, […]
Posted inHousing
Commissioners Court to facilitate talks in disagreement between ABoR and TCAD
TCAD Chief Appraiser Marya Crigler told the Travis County Commissioners Court on March 10 that despite receiving a cease-and-desist order to stop collecting third-party sales data, her office is still working to acquire the necessary data to accurately appraise home values in Travis County. On Feb. 14, Crigler announced that the Travis Central Appraisal District […]