C.A.D. Chief Randy Clark: Man In The Middle Corrected Copy
Doing his job keeps Eastland County Chief Appraiser Randy Clark, a young family man, square in the cross hairs of the Texas State Comptroller office and local friends and neighbors and unknowns who often believe he’s personally responsible for the ever-upward property taxes countians are confronted with.
As a professional property appraiser, Mr. Clark was hired to properly set values on private and commercial property and the personal items therein. Trained to the job, he is subject to the hard and fast tax-gathering rules set by the Texas Legislation and administered and enforced by the State Comptroller’s office. Clark is truly the “man in the middle.”
He is audited annually by the Comptroller’s Office to make sure that he has one year set “true” values according to sales prices and in alternate years, to make sure his office procedures are “following the rules.” There are penalties for “noncompliance.”
Clark says, that folks need to understand that his office does not adjust properties for the amount of taxes they pay. Many people try to “protest” the amount of taxes they pay to the Appraisal District and the Appraisal Review Board but the Appraisal District is solely responsible for setting the market and taxable value for properties in the county. “We just, to the best of our ability try to put honest and true values on all taxable property.”
The Local Governmental bodies set the tax rates depending on their budget needs each year around the months of August and September. This is what determines the amount of taxes you will be paying. The drop in oil and gas revenue has put a crimp on entities which provide services to the public. Even though some residential values have increased, the total taxable value for some local entities will decrease due to the drop in oil and gas valuations. This could potentially cause an increase in the tax rate depending on what the local government bodies decide to do when they set their tax rate. The school districts are not affected by this scenario because their rates are capped by the state.
How does one arrive at values?
Quick Answer: comparative sale values of like properties. Recent sales prices are compared to the current values the appraisal district has on properties and then a factor is placed on those properties to bring them up or down to the current sales prices. A vacant lot with a boat dock recently sold at Lake Leon for $120,000.
There is common public belief that with the crash of the oil industry, all values have gone down or tanked. True to some extent, but recent property sale transactions often prove otherwise.
Mr. Clark urges people to contact his office if they have any questions about their appraised value. His office is on the second floor of the County Annex Bldg., corner of Lamar and Main Streets.