Tarrant Appraisal District board members voted 5-4 to appraise residential property in 2027, continuing a plan to reappraise the properties during odd-numbered years instead of annually.
The reappraisal plan, which other appraisal districts across the state have emulated, delivered less equitable tax bills to homeowners this year, TAD staff and board members acknowledged Tuesday and in previous board meetings.
TAD did not reappraise homes this year, meaning property values remained frozen at a higher, previous market value. Had the TAD board chosen to reappraise, an estimated 195,000 homeowners would likely have received lower property tax bills this year because the housing market dipped.
About a dozen speakers asked the board to revert to annual appraisals, with some arguing that the state constitution mandates uniform appraisals and taxation. Some said the reappraisal plan fell short of the tax relief promised by board members, noting that several local taxing entities are considering tax rate increases to make up for lower-than-expected tax revenue.
“If we as taxpayers are expected to pay taxes annually, it only seems correct that, as taxpayers, we also be afforded the accuracy of an annual reappraisal for the most accurate and fair valuation by which we are taxed,” said Fort Worth resident John Adams, who is a candidate for TAD in the November elections.
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Rick Barnes, the elected tax assessor-collector and chairman of the TAD board, pushed back on claims that the reappraisal plan has driven other local governments to consider raising taxes, saying that decision falls on the taxing entity. Tarrant County residents need tax relief, and TAD should help provide it, he said.
“I don’t understand the comments that are made that say we are doing nothing to help people out,” Barnes said. “It’s not us that’s raising tax rates. And those that need to, need to. That’s their job.”
He cited Tarrant County as an example of effective budgeting, as county commissioners prepare to lower the county tax rate for the fourth consecutive year.
Other taxing entities have blamed TAD’s appraisal plan for lower-than-expected tax revenue, which funds the majority of their budgets.
Chairman Rick Barnes at a Tarrant Appraisal District board meeting on Sept. 8, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
Fort Worth officials are considering raising taxes and dialing back some services to close a $94 million shortfall in next year’s budget, which the city council adopts next week. Colleyville is considering a 13% tax increase.
Barnes voted in favor of two-year appraisals, as did board members Matt Bryant, Keziah Farrar, Eric Morris and Callie Rigney. Board members Wendy Burgess, Fred Campos, Eric Crile and Gloria Pena voted against, saying appraisals should be conducted annually.
“This experiment that occurred in 2024 had good intentions, but I think there’s a whole array of unintended consequences,” Campos said of the adopted plan. “If the purpose of this was to lower the taxes for the taxpayer, we’re not helping in any way, shape or form.”
Burgess told her colleagues their responsibility as a board was to adopt a reappraisal plan that allows for accurate and equitable taxation. That decision shouldn’t be based on whether individual board members favor higher or lower taxes, she said.
Board member Wendy Burgess at a Tarrant Appraisal District board meeting on Sept. 8, 2026, in Fort Worth. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report/CatchLight Local/Report for America)
“It is our responsibility as directors to not raise or lower taxes. It is to approve a reappraisal plan that permits the chief appraiser to comply with Texas tax code and produce accurate, uniform and equitable values.”
In 2026, more than 272,000 homeowners protested their taxes, and roughly 95% resolved their bills without a formal hearing, according to TAD estimates.
Rigney said the reappraisal freeze helped most residents, emphasizing that anyone may protest their appraisal.
“Tarrant County residents are smart,” Rigney said. “If they feel like their property is overappraised or they feel like they don’t have a fair appraisal, there’s still a path they can take, and they can protest.”
Speaker Joe Palmer said he thought the two-year appraisal plan was a great idea when first adopted by TAD. However, now that it’s resulted in less uniform taxation, he feels property tax relief may not be resolved just within Tarrant County.
“If you want to make it more difficult for my property tax bill to go up and your own to go up, come down to the Legislature with me, and we’ll advocate together on bills that will do that,” Palmer told board members. “But a freeze by itself is just going to shift the burden over to the local entities to raise their rate.”
Cecilia Lenzen is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at cecilia.lenzen@fortworthreport.org.
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