Tax Reform Group To Hold Meeting Wednesday In Fulshear

The newly-formed Citizens Against High Tax Appraisal organization will hold a “Knowledge is Power Workshop” on how to protest property taxes this Wednesday, May 27, in Fulshear.

The meeting will take place at Bluebonnet Storage, 2925 FM 1093 starting at 6:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

Scheduled speakers include Fulshear Mayor Jamie Roberts, Fort Bend County Commissioner Andy Meyers, Fulshear resident and CAHTA spokesperson Melisa Roberts and real estate agents Russell Rosenbaum and Nicole Pope.

The tax reform group launched its campaign to get Texas property tax appraisals reformed last week at the Fulshear City Council meeting.

Speaking for a group of more than 60 residents present in the city council chambers, Melisa Roberts called the rise in Fulshear-area appraisals a “crisis.”

“We are facing a crisis in our city today in which many of us are at risk of losing our homes and property. In the last two years, our tax appraisals have skyrocketed,” Roberts said.

She said the dramatic rise in property appraisals began last year and continued into this year.

“In 2008, many of us were outraged by the horrendous increases in our property values. Many of us protested and lost, while others of us found mercy,” Roberts said during her presentation. “While our cries of outrage were primarily unheard, some of us thought the worst was over. With a failing economy, we were certain our values would stay the same and were even hoping to see a decrease just as many others in Fort Bend County have experienced. Unfortunately, we the people in Fulshear and the local area have been victimized by the Fort Bend County Appraisal District again.”

Roberts showed her own property appraisal notices to illustrate the dramatic increases in appraised values in the Fulshear area.

“In 2008, I personally saw an increase of 1100 percent on my property. This year, that had increased by 2300 percent – and you heard that correctly, 2300 percent,” she told Fulshear council members last week. “There are hundreds of us in this community who have similar stories.”

She asked the city council for their help, saying residents feel their hands are tied and they cannot fight the entrenched appraisal system alone. Regardless, Roberts pledged to move forward with the appraisal reform effort.

“We are not the first group to organize to fight tax appraisal districts across Texas; however, with your help and support, we can change legislation to make us the last group of people to have to fight these battles,” Roberts said.