Important Reminder for Residents: Jefferson County Fall Property Tax Payments Due Soon

The autumn property tax payment deadline is Monday, November 13, as stated by Jefferson County Auditor Heather Huff. Payments can be made in person at the courthouse, or they can be done with a tax statement at German American Bank or Farmers Bank of Milton.

Local governments rely on property taxes as their main source of funding for a variety of services like roads, schools, police, and fire protection. The procedure that municipal officials must take to value property, ensure that valuations are equitable and consistent, set tax rates, and collect taxes is established by Texas law.

Levying, collecting, and disbursing property taxes is one of the tax assessor’s main duties. For 28 taxing entities, including Jefferson County, the Jefferson County Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office monitors roughly 149,000 tax accounts and collects property taxes.

Image from CBS News

How is Property Tax Determined

The Jefferson Central Appraisal District certifies the appraisal roll to the Tax Assessor-Collector, determines values, offers exemptions, and certifies the appraisal roll. Please call the Jefferson Central Appraisal District at 409-840-9944 or 409-727-4611 if you have any concerns about value or exemptions, or visit their website at www.jcad.org.

Each Taxing Unit’s Governing Body determines the tax rate and presents it to the Tax Assessor-Collector. You can get in touch with the governing body here.

Each year, the Tax Assessor-Collector will assess taxes and produce the certified tax roll.

Sample Calculation

The Texas State Comptroller’s Office provides a comprehensive overview of this process, entitled Property Tax Basics.

The four stages of the yearly property tax levy are described in this document:

• Value of real estate, including the duties of the appraisal district and exemptions that can be used to lower property taxes;
• Equalization or disputes about values;
• Taxation, budget adoption, and tax rate determination (sometimes known as the “assessment” phase); and
• Taxpayer collection or payment (including payment due dates, postponing payments, and penalties for nonpayment)

For Jefferson County residents, visit Property Tax Assistance (texas.gov) for assistance regarding tax payments and other information required.

Texas does not impose a state property tax. Property tax is not collected by the Comptroller’s office, nor are tax rates determined by it. It is up to local taxation bodies to decide that. Local tax income is used to fund services like schools, roads, and police and fire protection, among other things. Find out more about the property tax relief section of the comptroller’s function and services.

Comprehensive Master Plan

Updates are being made to the Comprehensive Master Plan by Planning & Zoning. To learn more about the suggested adjustments, please visit the Plan Updates page. The staff has completed an update to the Water Policies based on study finished in 2018–2019. The County’s Mixed Use rules are now the focus of staff attention. After that study is over, staff will concentrate on revisions for the South Plains Area, which covers a large chunk of unincorporated Jefferson County’s southeast. To view the complete findings and learn why these revisions were chosen, consult the study (PDF).

When deciding on land use issues including rezoning, special uses, and site approval cases, the Comprehensive Master Plan (PDF) serves as a guidance. With community feedback, the Planning Commission approved the proposal. Although not required, the plan’s suggestions are taken into consideration when determining the nature, scope, scale, and placement of any future development.

When examining a proposed rezoning, special use, or site approval, further advisory policies and land use suggestions can be found under the Area Plans section. These plans’ regulations were drafted with consultation from local organizations, property owners, and community members to be tailored to the Area to which they apply.

In Jefferson County, reimbursements of property taxes have already been sent. Why getting their money costs Colorado people money

This week, Jefferson County property owners in Colorado will get tax refunds totaling close to $40 million. The county started sending checks Monday that averaged $185 because they reached the income threshold set by the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR). The flier that is attached to the cheques, however, has caused some controversy. The county could have simply reduced property taxes to return the TABOR excess, but instead it spent $250,000 mailing checks so it could include a flier explaining how the refunds would affect services while it weighs a ballot campaign to eliminate them.

According to Natalie Menten, a Jefferson County citizen and government watcher, “the county commissioners are going to use this letter to try to sway voters and lay the foundation for a ballot issue again next year.”

She has successfully resisted prior attempts to raise the TABOR revenue ceiling, and she cites a job search for a political consultant as evidence the county intends to try again.

She claims that the only reason county commissioners are writing TABOR reimbursements is so they may add political propaganda; “It’s a one-sided letter.”

According to Menten, the county has adequate funds to cover both costs: “The problem here isn’t a revenue problem. It’s a spending problem.”

Only a dozen or so counties, including Jefferson County, still have the TABOR cap completely in effect.