Denton County Judge Andy Eads

Recognizing process improvements

The relationship between Denton County and the Denton Central Appraisal District has come a long way in the past year. That is as important to us as it is to our taxpayers in Denton County. The appraisal District is a separate political subdivision as defined in the Texas Tax Code, and Denton County believes there should be a high level of customer service, transparency, and accountability – the same qualities our residents expect at all levels of government.  Last year, the Commissioners Court expressed our concerns and led an effort to bring increased improvements at the DCAD.

I would like to thank the board of directors, DCAD leadership, and the staff for listening, and more importantly, taking action, on behalf of the county, school districts, and other taxing entities across the county. I also appreciate the outreach the appraisal district has done with all of the entities over the past year.
 
Chief Appraiser Don Spencer, who oversees DCAD, recently announced they were able to certify 98.4 percent of the taxable value to the taxing entities within Denton County on July 25. This is important as it allows each entity to plan their respective budgets with a certified tax roll – a more certain calculation than an estimated tax roll. This delivery of timely and accurate information keeps us from overtaxing our residents, which is vitally important. 
 
Denton County is an attractive place to live, work, and play, and people are relocating here at a rate of 86 a day. This demand is reflected in the new home starts and increases in home and rental prices. Year over year, the taxable value for Denton County increased, Spencer said. The 2023 net taxable value totals $177,207,953,923 across 470,529 parcels. In 2022, the net taxable value was $149,854,372,945 with 458,600 parcels.
 
The chief appraiser told our Commissioners Court that 132,000 property tax protests were filed this year, an increase of 20 percent from the previous year. They settled an estimated 75,000 informally and held 51,000 Appraisal Review Board hearings. The remaining appeals are expected to be complete by mid-August. 

 Spencer said all notices of appraised values were timely sent out by April 17, which served as a huge step toward a more structured and organized appeal season.
 

One key factor for an even smoother appeal season next year will be individuals willing to serve on the Appraisal Review Board. The Appraisal Review Board is a group of Denton County citizens appointed by the local administrative law judge to determine taxpayer protests of property appraisals between property owners and DCAD. This year, DCAD started with 33 members and finished with 27. They hope to have twice that number for next year. 
 
Individuals who serve on the Appraisal Review Board receive pay for their time, which generally requires a full-time commitment during the spring and summer months. Although members may not be scheduled every day, they must be available to serve Monday-Friday, including a few late evenings past 5 p.m. and occasionally on a Saturday. With additional people serving, everyone could benefit from the increased accessibility of the public to have their case heard by their fellow residents. 

More information on serving on the ARB can be found at DentonCAD.com. I would like to thank DCAD for their transparency this past year. Last year, we had to take some steps to enact changes. We did the right thing then, and we are doing the right thing now by saying thank you.
 
We also recognize the concern among many of our residents about the rising property values and appreciate the efforts made during this recent legislative session, in which the Texas Legislature passed $18 billion in property tax relief for all Texas residents.
 
We look forward to continuing to work with the Denton Central Appraisal District and our legislators on improvements to the process and to doing our part to protect taxpayers and promote good government. Connect With Us

If you have any questions or comments, please let me hear from you. My email is andy.eads@dentoncounty.gov, and my office number is 940-349-820.

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