The Texas Comptroller's Office has changed the deadline for property-tax protests in 2018. Previously, property owners had until May 31 to file protests on their property taxes, but this year the deadline has been moved to May 15. Comal Appraisal District Chief Appraiser Rufino Lozano said notices were mailed to residents by April 1, which provides 45 days to file a protest. “Normally we would have mailed out our notices of appraised value by April 30, but now we have to send them out by April 1," Lozano said. Both the Comal and Guadalupe appraisal districts have posted the deadline change on their websites. If a person wishes to protest his or her taxes, the first step is to set up an informal meeting with a tax appraiser, said Jennifer Salazar, director of operations at the Comal Appraisal District. “Usually less than 10 percent (of people protesting) are not satisfied with the formal meeting and therefore proceed to what’s called a formal hearing,” Lozano said. At a formal hearing, property owners have the opportunity to present their cases to the county appraisal board.