What brought you to the world of property appraisals?
It started out in 1998. ... It was the Harris County Appraisal District, and I was there for 12 years, and then I left for a little bit so that I could go ahead and finish my degree, because I always wanted to be a counselor. I was actually working at an alternative school, doing counseling and ... I was released from there because they ended up losing their contract, and my ex-supervisor from Harris County ... reached out to me. I came here and started back because I was in management at Harris County, but I ended up coming back into the business as an appraiser.
What were the big changes you made upon becoming chief appraiser?
The team that I have, they are so amazing and they are so supportive. I was very thrilled because I have the support of the board, I have the support of a great team and that made the job a whole lot easier to accept when I was appointed.
One of the first things that I did was I met with the team ... and I shared with them that we're in this together. We're going to work as a group, and we're going to rebuild the integrity of our data. We are going to build a solid foundation, so from this point on, it's something that any chief appraiser that comes after me or whoever comes after us can build upon and not have to start all over again.
For tax year 2025, our budget is now for 107 employees, but it is because for a long time we were limited as far as our appraisal staff as well as technology. But the county has grown substantially. It’s a little daunting to do this, but ... with the new software that we have, they do have a mobile application. So that delay that we had in the past with our appraisers going out to the field, measuring on paper and pen, and then coming back into the office and keying it into the system, that delay is going to stop now.
With the mobile software, we'll be able to go ahead and enter everything in while we're out in the field, and it's immediately input into our system for review.
What are some of the big misconceptions that you see year over year when it comes to property taxes?
That we are politically motivated when we are actually a neutral party. We are tasked with having an accurate listing of all properties within the boundaries of the county and valuing them at 100% of market value each year as of Jan. 1. To do this, we utilize prior year sales information.
Each year we mail out thousands of notices to property owners, informing them of their proposed value for the year. If they do not agree with our valuation, they have the right to protest. This allows them the opportunity to speak with our appraisers informally and discover how we arrived at our value and verify if the information we have on their property is correct. If an adjustment can be made based on the documentation provided and all parties agree, then the process is complete; [it's] that simple. However, if an agreement cannot be reached, then the property owner has the right to proceed with a formal hearing in front of the Appraisal Review Board panel, which is typically three citizens who reside in Montgomery County and are separate from the appraisal district. During the formal process, the appraisal district is placed in the same position as the property owner, where both sides are presenting their testimony, documentation and recommendations to the ARB panel. During the formal process, the ARB panel makes the final decision on the value.
One keynote in this process, the main deadline to protest is May 15, whether you receive a notice or not. As stated above, we mail out thousands of notices each year, but not all property is subject to change. If, to our knowledge, there have been no changes to your property account, you will not receive a notification of value, but you still have the right to protest your value. So, if you do not receive a notice and the deadline is quickly approaching, please do not miss your opportunity, submit the protest by May 15.
Why can residents see a year-to-year increase in their appraisal value, even if local taxing entities do not raise their tax rate?
Our values are set first, and so we have to value as of Jan. 1. Because we have to value as of Jan. 1, we're looking at all of the prior year sales. So for tax year 2025 or appraisal year 2025, we're looking at all the sales that took place in 2024 in order to determine what a property owner could actually sell their home for as of Jan. 1. So that can change every year, and it's just depending on what the market is saying there.
I've been in the business 25 years now. So there are times when we have an increase in the market, but then there are times when we have a decrease in the market. It is those sales that indicate what our valuations will be. So it's going to change every year.
It could change as a result of that ... with a lot of property owners, one of the things that I share with them, especially when they're seeing an increase in their land valuation. I tell them ... take a look around in your neighborhood. Are you seeing a lot of properties selling, and people are demolishing the homes? And if they say, yes, ... that's telling us that the location of that property is more important than the improvements that are actually sitting on it. And so as a result, most of the value is in the land versus the actual improvements.
Is there anything else you would like residents to know about your office, you and your staff?
I want them to understand that we are here to educate the community. We're here to help them throughout this process, because we understand that it is a very confusing process, and it can change every two years whenever the Legislature meets.
With us, it's never an ‘us against them’ type of mentality. It’s ‘Okay, how can we help you? What do we need to do to help you better understand this process?’
If it's things that we can do, ... everybody on my team will bend over backwards to help a property owner within the guidelines of the law, ... and that's because we're property owners ourselves. So like I said, none of us knew about this process until we actually got into the business. So we look at that and we empathize with the property owners and put ourselves in their shoes when we're helping them.
Learn more
The Montgomery Central Appraisal District is also holding a series of property tax workshops where residents can ask questions regarding the property appraisal and protest process.
- April 22 at 6 p.m. at East Montgomery County Senior Center, 21679 McCleskey Road, New Caney
- May 1 at 6 p.m. at Lone Star College Star Ballroom, 5000 Research Forest Drive, The Woodlands
- May 6 at 6 p.m. at Magnolia Community Center, 422 Melton St., Magnolia
- May 8 at 6 p.m. at Montgomery Central Appraisal District, 109 Gladstell St., Conroe
