TAX CHANGE
1488
in The Woodlands area
The market values for homes across the county, including in TheWoodlands region, have risen over the past five years. AVERAGE MARKET VALUE CHANGES in The Woodlands area
45
TheWoodlands
Montgomery County and municipalities in The Woodlands area have experienced increases in their total property tax revenue over the past five years, while tax rates have fallen.
Shenandoah
The Woodlands
Oak Ridge North
Property tax revenue changes for each fiscal year since FY 2014 REVENUE CHANGES
Oak Ridge North
2014 2018
2014 2018
$397,686 $362,725
$195,285 $166,640
99 TOLL
-0.02% The Woodlands
Shenandoah
Montgomery County
$40M 0 $42M $44M $46M $48M $820K $860K $900K $940K $780K 0 $650K 0 $700K $750K $800K $850K 0 $140M $160M $180M $200M $340M $380M $420M $460M $220M $300M 0
2014 2018
2014 2018
$374,327 $295,022
$236,671 $195,983
N
SOURCES:MONTGOMERYCENTRALAPPRAISALDISTRICT/COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER
2015 2016 2017 2018 INCREASE OF 5.33%
districts, which typically carry high tax rates—is still uncertain.
growth limited if some form of SB 2 and HB 2 become law. A main point of the reform bills is a 2.5 percent cap on annual increases in revenue from taxes on existing properties; a levy above that limit would require voter approval to pass. Existing law has that cap set at 8 percent, and exceeding it would not automati- cally trigger an election. A similar bill filed in 2017 with a 4 percent cap failed to become law. Bennett Sandlin, executive direc- tor of the Texas Municipal League, a city-focused interest group, said the proposed cap was punitively low compared with the previous plans and would not allow cities to keep up with inflation and maintain a healthy payroll. “[A cap of] 2.5 [percent] is so egre- giously low that services are auto- matically going to fall behind,” he said. On the other side, lawmakers such as state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, the author of SB 2, said a 2.5 percent revenue cap will only benefit taxpayers by limiting the amount that taxing entities can collect. But with that cap level and other content of the bills still up for debate, the effect of the proposals on those entities—especially school
CONTINUED FROM 1
2014
responsibly in their jurisdictions and attributed much of their res- idents’ rising tax bills to higher appraisal values. Regardless of their stances on SB 2 and HB 2, many state and local officials said they are hopeful for progress on the topic this year. “Texas homeowners want relief now. We’re already taxing people out of their homes,” said state Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, a pro- ponent of the bills. PROPOSED REVENUE CAP Despite the high-profile push for reform in early January, officials said they are waiting to see how, or if, they will be affected if the proposed bills become law. Several local offi- cials said they are also unhappy that the proposed solution could limit their administrations’ ability to gen- erate revenue. “Greg Abbott and Austin legis- lators do not want the federal gov- ernment involved in their business, and I do not want the state govern- ment involved in our business,” Oak Ridge North Mayor Jim Kuykendall said. Entities that depend on property taxes to operate could have their
Shenandoah
APPRAISALS AFFECTING TAX BILLS Officials in The Woodlands area said while taxing limits of some sort may be needed, their own tax rates have held steady or even decreased in recent years, and factors, such as property appraisals, have led to growing bills. “I don’t think that having a cap at the township level is going to pro- vide any meaningful property tax relief to our residents because we already manage better than the pro- posal,” said Gordy Bunch, chairman of The Woodlands Township board of directors. “The only way my con- stituents are going to see substan- tial offsetting costs is managing the appraisal tax increases.” The Woodlands tax rate has con- sistently fallen this decade, from a high of $0.328 per $100 of tax- able value in fiscal year 2009-10 to $0.2273 per $100 this fiscal year—a drop of more than 30 percent. Mean- while, the average appraisal value for households in The Woodlands jumped 33 percent from around $300,000 in FY 2009-10 to nearly $400,000 in FY 2017-18. “Those incremental increases of
-0.09%
2015 2016 2017 2018 INCREASE OF 12.00%
2014
Oak Ridge North
0.0%
2015 2016 2017 2018 DECREASE OF 16.19%
2014
Montgomery County
2015 2016 2017 2018 INCREASE OF 26.78%
2014
Conroe ISD
2015 2016 2017 2018 INCREASE OF 38.59%
2014
SOURCES:THEWOODLANDSTOWNSHIP,THECITYOFSHENANDOAH, THECITYOFOAKRIDGENORTH,MONTGOMERYCOUNTY,CONROE INDEPENDENTSCHOOLDISTRICT/COMMUNITY IMPACTNEWSPAPER
SECOND SATURDAY DIVORCE WORKSHOP Second Saturday Divorce Workshop provides unbiased information to help you understand your options and move forward with your life. We believe the more information and support you have as you move forward through this difficult process, the more informed decisions you can make. INFORMATION.SUPPORT.HOPE Explore the legal, financial, psychological and social issues of divorce. FOR MORE INFORMATION AND A RESERVATION PLEASE CONTACT: Kevin Pinkley, AIFA®,CDFA™,CIMA® 832-375-0900 Kevin.Pinkley@secondsaturdaywoodlands.com www.SecondSaturdayWoodlands.com
WHEN: Saturday,April 13th, 2019 WHERE: Lone Star College – Montgomery Campus 3200 College Park Drive,The Woodlands,TX 77384
Discover community resources available to help you. Talk with other persons experiencing similar life changes.
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Community Impact Newspaper • communityimpact.com
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