Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 265, Ed. 1 Monday, April 24, 2017 Page: 4 of 18
eighteen pages : ill.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
STATE/NATIONAL
4A
Monday, April 24, 2017
Denton Record-Chronicle
Costs
mount
as trials
on hold
Work together to lower property taxes
praisal districts are good at
this. It’s their main way of
coming up with numbers.
Unless you’re a student of this
method or a math wizard, it’s
tricky.
New tax strategy
to overwhelm
system
ABOUT THIS
COLUMN
IN THE KNOW
Hr
■ Learn more about your
property tax protest at the
state comptroller’s website,
comptroller.texas.gov/taxes
/property-tax/.
■ Property tax statements are
mailed out by May 1.
■ Taxes are due by next
January, in most cases. But the
protest deadline is May 31.
■ Any homeowners or
property owners can protest,
even if their taxes did not go
*
The Watchdog Desk works for
you to shine light on
questionable practices in
business and government. We
welcome your story ideas and
'
he Watchdog has a
plan to lower your
2017 property taxes.
My plan is perfectly legal,
but it will shake up the un-
fair tax system, bring aware-
ness to the property tax crisis
and, most important, prob-
ably lower your taxes with
what I believe will be mini-
mal effort on your part.
The name of The Watch-
dog’s plan is “Everybody File
a Protest.”
In part one of this series, I
revealed my 2017 strategy for
all citizens of Watchdog
Nation. We stand up for our
rights to the full extent of the
law and look for strategies
that give us an advantage
where usually we’d be at a
disadvantage.
My plan is to persuade as
many property owners as
possible to file a property tax
protest before the May 31
deadline. Overload the sys-
tem like never before, and in
return, appraisers would
have to settle cases in greater
numbers than ever to clear
their calendar by the state’s
July deadline.
The system is set up so
that all protests must be
resolved by around July 20
(or late August if a large
county appraisal district
seeks an extension).
That doesn’t leave much
time for any district to han-
dle thousands of protest
hearings. So what happens
then?
The second tactic is easier.
T
Find another house in your
neighborhood that is exactly
like yours and if that proper-
ty’s value is lower, show that.
Take photos to prove the
similarities. I’ve used this in
the past.
The third is probably the
best. Appraisers don’t go
inside your house to check
conditions. Most likely, no-
body even visited the outside
either. But inside, there must
be many out-of-date features
or problems that require
money to fix and now deval-
ue your home.
If a roof or foundation
needs repairing, show a
repair estimate that proves
that. Take color photos, too.
What about those wall
tips.
Dave Lieber
Contact The Watchdog
Email:
watchdog@dallasnews.com
Call: 214-977-2952
Write: Dave Lieber, P.0. Box
655237, Dallas, TX 75265
Waco gunfight still
unresolved in court
THE WATCHDOG
COMMENTARY
I call it “waving a wand.”
No hearing. No time for that.
Only a quick settlement offer.
Missed deadlines cause ma-
jor headaches for local gov-
ernments waiting to hear
how much tax money they
will reap as they prepare next
year’s budgets.
“Everybody File a Protest”
is permitted under Texas law.
There’s no punishment for
those who protest. Nobody is
going to get angry with you.
(They might at me for this,
but, oh well.)
Tax protesting is worth it.
Last year, a property tax
consultant I hired lowered
my taxable value enough that
my tax bill was cut several
hundred dollars.
How did I come up with
this idea? By listening to tax
consultants and appraisers,
and understanding their
strengths and weaknesses.
Patrick O’Connor, whose
Houston company handles
more tax protests than any-
one in the state, told me last
year that some counties don’t
want “to sit down and go
over each file individually,
partly because they don’t
have time.”
“If an appraisal district is
late, that causes stress for the
taxing entities,” he said. “So
appraisal districts have in-
centive to settle protests
sooner than later to certify
the tax rolls.”
WACO (AP) — Costs are
mounting for the Texas county
where a fatal gunfight involving
two motorcycle gangs and police
led to the indictments of more
than 150 bikers.
The trials arising from the
May 2015 shooting at a Twin
Peaks restaurant in Waco are on
hold until a federal case against
leaders of the Bandidos motor-
cycle gang wraps up, which
could be at least several months,
the Waco Tribune-Herald re-
ported.
But that hasn’t meant a slow-
down for McLennan County,
where prosecutors are sharing
massive amounts of evidence
with defense attorneys while
awaiting tests on DNA samples
from the shootout that killed
nine people and wounded 20
others.
So far, work related to the
case tops $200,000 for the
county, not including more than
$500,000 defrayed by state and
federal grants and reimburse-
ments. The balance can be paid
over several budget years.
The case involves about 70
defense court-appointed attor-
neys, meaning the county is re-
sponsible for their fees that
range from $75 to $80 an hour
for work in and out of the
courtroom. They also receive
$50 an hour for travel time,
plus mileage compensation.
One defense attorney notes
she’s received more than
870,000 pages of documents
to review.
up.
■ Seniors have their school
taxes frozen, but in most cases
their remaining property taxes
are not.
Denton Central Appraisal
District: www.dentoncad.com
They have a deadline, and
the more of us who protest,
the harder it is for them to
meet it. This is a more-the-
merrier community exercise.
It only works if a lot of peo-
ple do this.
In the Dallas-Fort Worth
region last year, 1 in 7 home-
owners filed a protest. To
make this work, we must
double or even triple those
numbers. (Denton County
has the highest protest rate
with 1 out of 5 owners pro-
testing.)
How-to guide
Have you ever filed a
protest? I’ll show you how.
Each county has its own
method and requirements
(although all follow strict
laws) so I won’t generalize
about your county. First, look
at your tax statement. Then
visit your county appraisal
district’s website and check
your property listing. If you
have questions, call them.
Each district has its own
online protest system. In-
structions about how to file a
protest are available either
online or with your tax state-
ment. In general, announce
your protest using your
county’s online system or in
writing (but not by email or
fax). Keep copies as proof.
Every owner whose prop-
erty value increased should
receive a tax statement by
early May. If you don’t get
one because your taxable
value didn’t go up, you can
still protest anyway. And you
should. Get your information
online or call your appraisal
district to check your tax
status.
You can hire a property
tax consultant. Start at the
Texas Association of Property
Tax Professionals (taptp.org.)
Or you can do it yourself,
which works, too. Remem-
ber, you can always drop out
before the hearing, but under
my theory, your case won’t
get that far. We’re looking for
waving the wand.
Try these tactics
I have three strategies
that you can use as your
protest reasons.
The first is using compara-
ble property prices (comps) in
the neighborhood to show
that your value is too high.
You call a Realtor friend for
the numbers and then bring
out your math skills. I’m not a
big fan of using comps. Ap-
cracks, plumbing and electri-
cal problems, out-of-date
and worn fixtures, count-
ertops, cabinets, doors, tile?
Make a list. What would you
have to do inside to prep the
house for a sale? Prepare
proof.
Don’t forget you can drop
out before a hearing if you
wish. But they don’t know
that. You’re working for that
mass settlement. Wave the
wand.
Please share this story
with your neighbors and
friends on Facebook and on
NextDoor.com. We need
everybody involved. Every-
body.
Dallas Morning News staff
writer Marina Trahan Marti-
nez contributed to this report.
Check out The Watchdog
Mondays on NBC5 at 11:20
a.m. talking about matters
important to you.
To make deadline, county
appraisers usually mass settle
cases informally without a
hearing, often with an office
chat over the counter or by
phone or email.
r
4l
I I
Pa. police killer’s
strategy to avoid
death: Blame Dad
m. s
I
«
His father, meanwhile, held
out-of-the-mainstream
By Michael Rubinkam
Associated Press
MILFORD, Pa. — As Eric
Frein tries to avoid death row for
ambushing two Pennsylvania
State Police troopers at their bar-
racks, defense lawyers are sug-
gesting they intend to raise ques-
tions about his father’s influence
on the gunman, a college dropout
and ne’er-do-well who lived with
his parents into his 30s.
Frein was convicted last week
of all 12 counts against him in
the 2014 attack that killed 38-
year-old Cpl. Bryon Dickson, a
married father of two and troop-
er-of-the-year nominee, and left
Trooper Alex Douglass with de-
bilitating injuries.
Prosecutors are seeking the
death penalty against Frein, 33,
who they say targeted state po-
lice because he was trying to fo-
ment an uprising against the
government. Frein’s lawyers
want the jury to sentence him to
life without parole.
The penalty phase opened
with Dickson’s widow giving
emotional testimony about her
family’s loss, and Douglass tell-
ing jurors he might lose his low-
er leg to amputation. The jury
learned about Dickson’s passion
for getting drunken drivers off
the road.
The defense has compara-
tively little to work with as they
try to persuade jurors to spare
Frein’s life.
Their case, which begins in
earnest on Monday, will partly
focus on the killer’s relationship
with his father, Eugene Michael
Frein, a retired Army major.
Defense lawyer William Ruz-
zo said Eric Frein tried to emu-
late his dad but didn’t measure
up. His father was a decent foot-
ball player; Eric got hurt. His fa-
ther was a career military man;
Eric enjoyed military re-enact-
ing. His father got a doctorate in
microbiology; Eric majored in
science but “either failed out or
drifted away,” Ruzzo told jurors.
“He was a geeky guy who
played video games excessively,”
the lawyer said.
I J
-4"
some
views about law enforcement.
He thought police wielded too
much power, insisting sheriff’s
departments should be the pri-
mary enforcer of laws because at
least sheriffs are elected and
New Customers are Searching for You Online RIGHT NOW.
ARE YOU BEING FOUND?
thus can be held accountable,
according to Ruzzo.
Eric’s few friends “tried to
avoid Mike Frein because they
didn’t want to listen to his rant-
ing and raving,” Ruzzo said.
Not Eric. He’d descend from
his bedroom for late-night bull
sessions with his father.
Michael Frein exaggerated
his military exploits, telling his
son he’d been a sniper who had
seen combat, Ruzzo said.
It turned out Eric was a better
shot than his father, excelling at
marksmanship in high school. He
put those skills to deadly use on
Sept 12,2014, when he shot Dick-
son and Douglass from a distance
of 87 yards, then disappeared into
the woods until his capture 48
days later.
While eluding police, he
wrote to his parents that only
revolution “can get us back the
liberties we once had.”
Ruzzo made clear that Frein’s
father did not incite his son to vi-
olence against police. What Eric
Frein really needed was disci-
pline and a good talking-to
about how he was wasting his
life, the lawyer said.
“Someone,
should’ve had that talk with
him,” he said. “Does that dimin-
ish Eric’s responsibility? No, ab-
solutely not.”
Michael Frein, who attended
some of the trial, is scheduled to
testify on his son’s behalf.
Any mitigation offered by the
defense would have to outweigh
the aggravating factors that ju-
rors will take into consideration
as they weigh Frein’s fate: The
gunman killed a law enforce-
ment officer, and he did it while
committing other felonies. Frein
was convicted of first-degree
murder, attempted murder, ter-
rorism and other felony counts.
Our pinpointed digital marketing strategies will ensure your target customer finds you by
utilizing cutting edge techniques in Web & Mobile Design, Video Marketing, Local Search
Optimization, Social Media, Reputation Management, and advanced Target Marketing.
We Focus on 3 key strategies to grow your business online
Q
INCREASE YOUR ONLINE VISIBILITY
Make sure you are being found by people active searching for your products and
services. After all, only 94% of people will go beyond page 1 of search results.
*
CREATE CUSTOMER LOYALTY
Stay connected to your happy existing customers via social media, email and text
increasing repeat and referral business.
TARGET NEW IDEAL CUSTOMERS
Zero in on your ideal customer where they are spending time online with our
precision targeting tactics. Invite them to your site with engaging calls to action.
somewhere
dlfe
Contact us today for a FREE online visibility audit.
940.566.6843 | info@drcdigitalmedia.com
1
DIGITAL
MEDIA
GOOD DESIGN IS GOOD BUSINESS
IGNIS MOD BUSINESS
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT:
drcdigitalmedia.com
• *
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Parks, Scott K. Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 113, No. 265, Ed. 1 Monday, April 24, 2017, newspaper, April 24, 2017; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1131362/m1/4/: accessed July 9, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .