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Council majority accepts Harris County appraisal roll after member calls valuations 'runaway'
Summary
Following a lengthy discussion, council voted to accept the Harris County Appraisal District's certified roll for properties in La Porte. One councilmember criticized HCAD valuations as "runaway" and said she would pursue changes for next year but withdrew a motion to reject the numbers now.
Councilmembers debated whether to accept the Harris County Appraisal District's certified appraisal roll before choosing to accept the roll to preserve the city's adopted budget assumptions.
Councilmember Miss Williams argued HCAD has produced "runaway appraisals" and that some rental-property valuations saw year-over-year increases near 300 percent, which she said shifts tax burdens to renters. "Those are the people who can least afford it," she said, urging the council to explore options next year. A city staff member answered that the values certified by HCAD were what the budget had been built around and that changing the numbers at this late stage would materially impact projected revenue.
Miss Williams attempted a motion to reject HCAD's numbers but later withdrew it; the council instead moved and voted to accept the certified roll to preserve the city's budget assumptions.
