Voters in Bexar County, along with those in Texas' 50 largest counties, are gearing up to elect new members to their respective appraisal district boards in the May 4 elections, an unusual county-wide municipal electoral thrust upon them by recent legislation. As reported by the San Antonio Report, Bexar County voters specifically will be choosing three at-large members to join their board, which also includes five other members picked by various taxing entities in the county.
This change comes after Texas voters nodded through constitutional amendments to lower property taxes yet it has caused confusion and concern among some local leaders, as they now face the task of running these elections without full clarity on the newly elected roles; the candidates themselves are unsure of their eventual powers, with Mel Bayne, retired U.S. Air Force pilot, confessing to the San Antonio Report, “We’re not sure yet how or what we’re really going to be able to do,” complicating an electoral process in a state already noted for a high number of elections.
Underpinning the revised electoral format, as laid out by the Texas Tribune, last year's voters’ consent to set a cap on property valuation hikes—and to enhance the homestead exemption from $40,000 to $100,000—included a provision that shifted the selection of appraisal board members from an appointed to an elected basis in counties with more than 75,000 residents, an addition that eluded many at the ballot box. It was Senator Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican, who drafted the legislation that introduced this measure, calling it a response to taxpayers demanding greater input in county appraisal district governance.
The concern that politics is encroaching upon what many consider an apolitical territory was echoed by Michael Amezquita, Bexar County’s outgoing chief appraiser and by the critique of Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare's involvement in appraisal board races, which draws attention to the potential shift in how appraisal processes are overseen and challenged—all hinting at an increasingly fraught intersection of governance and valuation, as reported by the San Antonio Report. Moreover, the new structure mandates the appraisal districts themselves to cover the election costs, with expenses estimated by Angelina County's Guessippina Bonner ranging from $50,000 to $180,000.
In Bexar County, the slate of candidates includes a diverse mix from a former CIA officer to real estate professionals and a retired physician, all vying to impact how appraisal and property taxation are executed in their jurisdiction, their campaign platforms speak to efforts to streamline and refine the often-contentious process of property valuation appeals—which last year saw approximately 179,000 protests lodged by property owners according to the San Antonio Report. For many voters, particularly those within municipalities that typically hold elections during odd-numbered years, this decision represented the sole item on their upcoming ballots.
