Home of Mayor’s Lowered Appraised Property Value Raises Eyebrows

SAN ANGELO, TX — While residents countywide are shocked by the second year of massive valuation increases in their homes and business properties, some have pointed out that Mayor Brenda Gunter’s home estate in Santa Rita has gone down, if only by a little.

We asked Mayor Gunter if she had talked to the appraisal district. She said no. We then called Tyler Johnson, chief appraiser for the Tom Green County Appraisal District. He too said no coordination with the mayor was made when deciding appraisals. Johnson he doesn’t know the mayor except in passing, likely at an event.

Gunter’s land value on her Santa Rita home declined from $112,030 in 2022’s appraisal to just $39,920 for 2023. The value of her house and other structures on her property increased from $1,124,350 to $1,133,590, making up for a little of the land value decrease. However, when all was calculated together, Gunter’s property saw a 5 percent decrease from $1,236,380 to $1,173,510. The houses next door all saw slight property value increases.

Judge Carter said he will protest each and everyone of his property value increases this year. He encouraged everyone to follow his lead.

Johnson said it is understandable that the land value of Gunter’s property dropped.

“Within the tax code guidance from the State of Texas, we have updated the valuation models based upon the market value inside a prescribed market area,” Johnson explained. A neighborhood can contain multiple market areas, he said.

In Gunter’s home’s case, the market area may be different than even her neighbors who all saw slight increases to their property values.

For everyone in the county, Johnson encourages property owners who believe their property is valued incorrectly either to call the Appraisal District or schedule a protest. There are two Appraisal Review Boards assembled this year to process all protests.

County Judge Lane Carter, who owns 24 rental properties around the county, said his total valuation for all of his properties in 2023 went up $928,000. His company saw properties increase 71 percent in valuation since 2021. He said at the current tax rates, the increase in rent needed to cover the tax increase would be $135 per month per tenant. Carter expects the budget workshops will be very challenging when balancing the county tax rate with the needs of county employees through the county payroll.

Carter said he plans to protest each and every one of his appraisals this year and encouraged every county property owner to follow his lead.

“Our goal is to be as transparent as we can in explaining how we arrived at the valuations,” Johnson said.

Transparency, apparently, is what Gunter is for as well. She has the option to remove her properties from the public appraisal district website for safety of public officials and she did not.