Today, the Texas Senate passed House Bill (HB) 3093, authored by Representative Denise Villalobos and Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa. This bill is designed to provide more tax revenue certainty and protect local governments along the Gulf Coast from financial harm caused by appraisal disputes.
HB 3093 will exclude contested amounts from appraisal rolls for the 20 highest-value properties. This change allows eligible counties, cities, and special districts to base their budgets on accurate, collectible property values, instead of disputed amounts that might not be resolved in time.
Senator Hinojosa shared the background on the bill, stating, “In 2023, I was approached by local officials, including Nueces County Tax Assessor Collector Kevin Kieschnick, Nueces County Judge Connie Scott, Corpus Christi Mayor Paulette Guajardo, Del Mar College Board of Regents Chair Carol Scott, and trustees from Corpus Christi ISD, who expressed concerns about rising contested values for certain refineries. These disputes could lead to budget shortfalls for local entities. In response, I authored Senate Bill 1052 and am pleased that Representative Villalobos filed the companion bill, HB 3093, in the Texas House.”
Currently, taxing units must use total appraised values, which do not account for pending legal disputes. This can lead to inaccurate tax rates and overestimated revenues, causing significant budget gaps if appraisals are later reduced. HB 3093 changes how tax rates are calculated when high-value property owners notify units about pending legal disputes over appraised values.
“HB 3093 will allow local entities to budget based on uncontested values. This bill is a compromise that preserves taxpayers’ rights to protest appraisals while helping governments plan their budgets effectively,” Senator Hinojosa added.
He also thanked the public officials and community leaders from the Coastal Bend who supported the legislation. “It takes teamwork to pass bills during the session and I appreciate the leadership of Rep. Villalobos and the support of Chairman Todd Hunter and Senator Adam Hinojosa in addressing this issue. I also thank the tireless work of Nueces County Tax Assessor Collector Kevin Kieschnick and our local public officials and community leaders who took the time to travel to Austin to testify in support of this bill.”
The bill is now awaiting final approval from Governor Greg Abbott.