Bell County property owners have already saved over $19 million from property tax protests in 2023. Bell County Tax Appraisal District is responsible for estimating the market value of real property and personal property in Bell County annually. Property owners have the right to contest those values each year, whether the value is raised or not. This data has been compiled by O’Connor based on initial and the current tax rolls provided by Bell County Tax Appraisal District.
O’Connor estimates total 2023 property tax savings as a result of Bell County property tax protests will total about $3 million based on reviewing data for property tax savings from prior years as reported on Bell County Property Tax Trends
Home owners have saved about $5.5 million already in property tax protests in 2023. Bell County Tax Appraisal District shows they have reduced values for 6,863 houses in 2023 tax protests. The average assessment reduction is $29,981 with average property tax savings of $809, based on a 2.7% tax rate and not considering homestead exemptions.
Apartment owners scored the largest total property tax savings and the largest savings per tax protest. Apartment tax protests resolved so far in 2023 have reduced the initial value of $1 billion and $860 million, reducing tax assessments by $178 million. The total property tax savings YTD for apartment owners is estimated at $4.8 million, based on a tax rate of 2.7%. Apartment tax protests in Bell County averaged a reduction of 17.2% and estimated property tax savings per apartment tax protest of $40,510. This includes hearing results for 119 apartments already in 2023.
The largest percentage assessment reduction for Bell County commercial property tax protests is 20.8% for land / miscellaneous, including 7,824 tax protests resolved in 2023. The initial value of $482 million was reduced to $382 million. The total tax savings for these owners is approximately $2.7 million based on a 2.7% tax rate, or $347 per tax parcel.
Hotel owners have successfully reduced the assessed value of hotels protested and resolved already from $242 million to $197 million. This generated a tax assessment reduction of $45 million with tax savings of $1.2 million based on a 2.7% tax rate. This includes property tax hearing results for 51 hotels with average property tax savings of $23,669 per hotel for hearings completed in 2023 with reductions. The average percentage reduction for hotel tax property tax protests in 18.4% YTD for protests with a reduction.
Office building owners have achieved the second highest aggregate property tax savings totaling $913,921 for 132 office building tax protests resolved YTD in Bell County. The initial value of $180 billion has been reduced to $146 billion, a reduction of tax assessment of $34 million. Property tax savings averaged $6,924 based on a 2.7% tax rate. The percentage assessment reduction for office buildings is 18.8% for office tax protests resolved with a reduction.
Bell County property owners have completed tax protests in 2023 with a reduction for 15,409 properties, reducing the initial assessed value of $5 billion to $4.1 billion, an 118.8% average reduction. The average tax savings per property protested is $88,294 including protests for houses and commercial properties.
Apartments with the largest 2023 property tax assessment reduction include the following:
- The owner, SCP16 PARTNERS LP at 720 AZALEA DR TEMPLE, Texas reduced their property tax assessment from $35.5 million to $17.6 million, a $17.8 million reduction, or 50%. This tax assessment reduction reduces their property taxes by $482,462 based on a 2.7% tax rate.
- MFT – BROOKSIDE LLC at 3604 S W S YOUNG DR KILLEEN Texas, owner is saving $390,217 in 2023 as a result of reducing their initial property tax assessment of $31.2 million to $16.7 million, a $14.4 million reduction. This was a 46% property tax reduction for this apartment complex built in 2019.
- 5801 W ADAMS AVE TEMPLE, Texas, owner reduced their property taxes by 36% or $382,412. The initial 2023 property tax assessment of $39.1 million was reduced to $24.9 million, a $14.1 million reduction in the 2023 property tax assessment.
Bell County Tax Appraisal District has a staff of over 42 professionals who value property in Bell County. However, the above examples illustrate the large potential for property tax reductions available through the property tax appeal process.
The 2023 property tax assessment reduction is based on comparing the initial values sent by Bell County Tax Appraisal District with the most recent tax assessments for 2023. This data does not include properties protested with no reduction, which increases the average reduction. In a typical year, about 39% of Bell County tax parcels will be protested, or about 453,842 tax protests out of a total of $176,000 tax parcels.
Property owners are encouraged to scrutinize their annual property tax assessments and appeal annually. Well over half of property tax protests in Bell County are successful in a typical year.
