Appraisal District seeks $2.9 million budget increase

The Travis Central Appraisal District is asking for an extra $2.9 million budget increase for Fiscal Year 2015 from the county. The Travis County Commissioners Court will discuss, and possibly vote on the increase at Tuesday’s regular session. The district’s board of directors asked that Chief Appraiser Marya Crigler provide recommendations to the court regarding allegations from citizens regarding perceived inequities in the appraisal system and provide a budget to help fund those recommendations. The money would assist district court litigation on appraisal protests from commercial properties. The funds would also go to hiring new appraisal staff to handle the increased volume of protests,  research property sales information for commercial properties, and for purchasing fee appraisals to help calibrate and validate the accuracy of the current appraisal process.