The Victoria Central Appraisal District wants to assure the public of their property tax appraisals and assessment services are conducted in a fair manner.
“The audit system is already in place,” said Victoria Central Appraisal District Chairman of the Board Lou Svetlik. “It’s a legitimate third-party auditor, and we’re already standing by what is required by law.”
In mid-August, a tied vote by Victoria County commissioners meant the decision for an independent audit would be left to the appraisal district office.
In July, Victoria’s Chief Appraiser and Appraisal District Operations Manager John Haliburton said his office lacked the resources to conduct an independent audit.
The goal of the appraisal district is to serve the public by appraising all property in Victoria County fairly and accurately. The Texas comptroller’s office performs an independent third-party audit every other year. This includes a comprehensive review of the Victoria Central Appraisal District’s compliance with all legal requirements and procedures.
The Texas comptroller’s office provides an in-depth, detailed report of the audit to the appraisal district’s board of directors for review. The 2023 comptroller map audit process will begin in October. The comptroller also audits the district’s appraisals in its annual property value study, which reviews appraised values to verify the district’s compliance with legal appraisal methods and procedures and that appraisals of similar properties are fair and uniform.
“Comprehensive audits are in place every two years by the comptroller,” Svetlik said. “We review these at the board table … There is already a comprehensive legitimate audit system in place.”
Past reports indicate favorable performance by the Victoria Central Appraisal District with only occasional minor deficiencies. The chief appraiser is evaluated formally each year by the board of directors based on his performance in these audits, with emphasis on customer service. Residents also have the right to appeal their appraisals by protesting to the appraisal review board or appealing to the state courts.
A long-time journalist, George likes 60s musclecars and firearms.
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