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Newton County commissioners table certification of 2024 appraisal roll amid protest count, software questions
Summary
The Newton County Commissioners Court voted to table certification of the 2024 appraisal roll and the anticipated tax collection rate until next Tuesday after staff reported discrepancies in protest counts and difficulty calculating an accurate tax rate.
The Newton County Commissioners Court on Monday tabled certification of the county's 2024 appraisal roll and its anticipated tax collection rate after staff flagged a discrepancy in the number of protested properties and said the assessor's office could not yet produce a reliable tax-rate calculation.
The move came after the court heard a readout of appraisal totals from assessor staff and commissioners raised concerns that the county’s property-roll software was showing 30 protests while staff said only 10 properties were actually under protest. One commissioner asked how the court could certify the appraisal roll if the protest count prevented an accurate rate calculation.
Why it matters: certifying an appraisal roll and adopting a tax rate are the legal steps counties take each year to set taxable values and ensure budgets and property-tax notices are correct. Certifying with incomplete or inconsistent protest information could require later corrections and risk posting deadlines.
During the discussion staff said the discrepancy appeared to stem from a glitch in the appraisal software and that the assessor (who had sent staff Tracy and Sherry in her place) was working to reconcile the figures. The court voted to postpone action “until next Tuesday” to allow the assessor’s office time to resolve the issue and produce a clear protest count and tax-rate calculation.
Action: Commissioner White moved to table items 1 and 2 on the agenda (certify the 2024 appraisal roll and the anticipated collection rate); Commissioner P seconded and the court approved the motion without recorded opposition.
Next steps: The court will revisit certification at the next scheduled session after the appraisal office provides corrected protest counts and a calculated tax rate. If the appraisal totals or the number of protests change materially, commissioners may need to re-open the item for further deliberation or adjustment.
