Texas voters choose members of the appraisal commission for the first time – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

For the first time, Texas voters directly elect a portion of the people who oversees the property tax assessment process.

Previously, assessment boards consisted of an elected county tax assessor-collector and a board of members appointed by the taxing authorities (cities, counties and school districts). A new state law passed in 2023 restructures assessment districts to have nine members: the tax assessor, five appointed members and three elected nonpartisan members who each serve four-year terms.

The appraisal boards do not determine property values, but they do supervise the employees responsible for the process. The appraisal districts are required by law to appraise property at full market value, and all taxing entities in the county must use those appraisals when collecting a tax.

Dallas Central Appraisal Board Results

Two candidates who ran for the Dallas Appraisal Board in second place, Kendall Scudder, and third place, Alexandra Stewart, faced no challengers.

At 1st place, Ekambar Kumar Singirikonda took on P. Wylie Burge.

Results of the Tarrant Central Appraisal Board

In Tarrant County, all three locations were at stake.

Sayeda Bilqees Syed, Trae Fowler and Eric Morris entered the race for 1st place. Caallie Rigney and Eric B. Crile entered the race for 2nd place and Chuck Kelley, Lee Henderson and Matt Bryant entered the race for 3rd place.

A candidate must receive more than 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff.

Results of the DENTON CENTRAL APPRAISAL BOARD

In the Denton Central Appraisal District, elections were held for all three board positions.

Peter K. Mungiguerra, Jr. and Angie Cox competed for 1st place, Sophia Anwar and Lisa McEntire competed for 2nd place, and Rick Guzman and Jordan E. Villarreal competed for 3rd place.

A candidate must receive more than 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff.

Results of the COLLIN CENTRAL ASSESSMENT BOARD

Brian Swanson, Deputy Chief Appraiser of Collin Central Appraisal District, told NBC 5 in April All three people who ran for the board had no opponents, so the election was canceled and voters did not see the question on their May 4 ballot.

WHAT IS A CENTRAL VALUATION DISTRICT?

In Texas, a central appraisal district exists to provide a single-source property valuation for taxing entities (hospitals, ISDs, cities, counties, etc.) that impose a property tax within a district. There is one appraisal district for each of the 254 counties in Texas, and they follow the same geographic boundary as the county, but they are not part of the county government.

A taxation district is a subdivision of the state and is governed by its own board. Each taxation district has a chief executive and a board of directors. The nine-member board consists of the tax assessor, five members appointed by the members of the taxing units in the district, and, beginning in May 2024, three members elected by voters. Funding for the taxation district comes from all taxing units, not just the county government.

Before the creation of the state's central appraisal districts in 1981, taxing authorities each filed their own appraisals of personal property. If an owner wanted to appeal that appraisal, he had to do so separately for each appraisal.

The appraisal districts were created to separate the entities that collected property taxes from the same entities that assessed the property. The districts centralized the assessments into one appraisal to make the entire process easier and fairer for property owners.

Appraisal agencies are required by law to appraise real estate at full market value. All taxing entities in the region must use these appraisals when collecting taxes.