Texas elections, Nov. 3rd 2009

It’s an off year for elections this November, meaning going out to vote may not seem significant to most; especially those who are already greatly focused on the 2010 candidates. However, there are a number of very interesting and heated elections happening in Collin County and Texas at large; coming up in just a couple of weeks.  These elections will have an especially large impact on property taxes.
In particular, Farmersville City voters will decide whether or not the sale of beer and wine for off-premises consumption will be allowed within the city, and Wylie ISD is once again pushing for a Bond election to pay for upgrades, improvements, additions, and renovations.  The biggest challenge bond elections may face are already high property taxes; especially during a time when people are concerned about cutting budgets during week economic times.
More relevant to Texan’s at large, are the 11 purposed constitutional amendments being placed on the ballot. There have been rumors going around that some of these amendments would create a state wide property tax; something that is currently unconstitutional in Texas.  Others are saying the wording that will be placed on the ballots is unclear about this, including Texas State Representative Jodie Laubenberg.
As a constituent of Representative Laubenberg’s, I received an e-mail from her stating that, “Proposition 2 will eliminate a type of appraisal called “highest and best use.”” Basically changing the way appraisals are done to prevent properties being appraised for the highest possible value based on their potential, rather then based on the properties current use and real value. Jodie goes on to say, “Proposition 3 will allow the Comptroller to set uniform standards for how your home is appraised, no matter what county you live in.” This is in contrast to today’s methodologies that can vary greatly from one county to the next. Jodie claims that “This should result in a fairer appraisal process for everyone.”