After making a second appearance on the Conroe ISD board of trustees agenda, the reappraisal of properties damaged during Hurricane Harvey within the district was approved by the board during an Oct. 17 meeting. The move could allow homeowners who saw significant storm damage to their homes to get a lower appraised value, resulting in a lower tax bill for the year. The agenda item was first presented during the board’s September meeting. However, after some discussion, the board decided in a nonunanimous vote to remove items pertaining to property reappraisal. This is the first time CISD has requested a reappraisal of property from the Montgomery Central Appraisal District, CISD Chief Financial Officer Darrin Rice said. “The only time a school district can look at doing a reappraisal is after the governor has declared the area within the district a natural disaster [area],” Rice said. During an Oct. 3 CISD workshop meeting, MCAD officials estimated 6,000 homes in Montgomery County sustained damage from the hurricane. As of Oct. 16, a total of 2,278 homes in CISD’s boundaries had reported damage, Rice said. Factoring in the reappraisal will result in a total tax revenue decrease for CISD of approximately $1.07 million for fiscal year 2017-18, Rice said. However, the Texas Education Agency will count the loss as an exemption, and since the district saw a 4.25 percent increase in taxable home value before the hurricane, the loss will essentially be gained back in FY 2018-19, Rice said. “Any revenue loss we feel in [FY] 2017-18, we get back in 2018-19,” he said. Additionally, CISD will experience a $245,000 decrease in the debt service fund, and appraisal district fees will amount to roughly $83,000, resulting in a total loss over FY 2017-18 and FY 2018-19 of about $350,000, Rice said. CISD will only be liable for property tax revenue lost between the disaster declaration through the end of the year, according to MCAD. Resident tax bills will only be prorated for this period. Discussion regarding reappraisals during the September board meeting involved whether the state or the district should be involved in the decision-making process. Board member Datren Williams, who was absent during the Oct. 17 meeting, said he felt the state would be better equipped to handle reappraisals, while board President Melanie Bush said the district should handle the situation. “Having heard from the state comptroller myself, he stated that it was up to the local taxing entities whether or not we reappraise,” Bush said. Looking ahead, the district will send the adopted resolution for reappraisal to the appraisal district for approval later this year, Rice said.