Bexar Appraisal District Proposes To Freeze Property Values

The Bexar Appraisal District is wanting to roll-over 2019 property values to 2020 amidst the COVID-19 outbreak.

In an emergency meeting of the Bexar Appraisal District Board of Directors Friday morning, the board has decided to delay mailing out roughly 625,000 appraisal notices by two weeks. The appraisal notices typically are sent on April 1, but COVID-19 has delayed that process.

The Bexar Appraisal District is hoping to buy more time to see how the pandemic unfolds. The District also closed the offices to the public beginning today at the recommendation of Chief Appraiser Michael Amezquita.

Under these circumstances, property owners and agents still have the ability to protest their values either by May 15 or 30 days after they receive their notice by phone, mail, or electronically.

The Appraisal District will seek approval from Governor Greg Abbott’s office this month. The City and Bexar County will send a letter to the Governor’s office, a measure he already rejected when the Texas Association of Appraisal Districts requested to do the same.

If the request is successful, many other Appraisal Districts will seek to do the same.

The Chief Appraiser believes he has the ability to roll over property values without approval as they discussed during the Friday meeting.

The Appraisal District simply wouldn’t send out appraisal notices, but would still allow property owners and agents to protest properties.

The Bexar Appraisal District Board of Directors will meet again April 8.