New Denton County appraisal chief expects 100,000 protests, is ‘taking little steps’ to improve

Spencer, who was officially appointed chief in November, said DCAD has received about 20,000 protests as of Thursday, and he expects to have around 100,000 by the deadline — which is May 17 for property owners whose notices were mailed April 17.

“We’re probably about average because the majority of the protests are going to come in right there around that deadline,” Spencer said.

According to North Texas Real Estate Information Services, the median sale price for homes sold in Denton County is $431,278, down 3.1% from last year.

Spencer said the decrease in the median home sale price could be attributed to the pandemic that has left the market in uncharted territory.

“It’s a market like nobody’s ever seen before, and especially here in Denton County with the growth,” he said.

Another reason sales prices are down, Spencer said, is that homeowners usually buy or sell during the first and third quarters of the year.

“What’s affecting the market currently is most people are not in the market to buy or sell in the spring or early spring,” Spencer said. “The market always heats up in the summer — that’s when people are selling, that’s when people are moving, that’s what people are buying.”

Spencer said while the appraisal district is still short staffed — an issue that presented itself during McClure’s time as chief — they have been looking for ways to improve in sending out the appraisals faster and more efficiently with a limited number of people.

Getting the appraisal notices out earlier this year is one of the first steps Spencer is focusing on since McClure’s departure.

“So [we are] just taking little steps like getting the notices out sooner,” Spencer said. “Having a plan on how we’re going to manage the load of protests that are filed by tax agents.”

The appraisal district has a deadline of July 25 to certify total property valuations — or at least 95% of the total — and send the numbers to taxing jurisdictions for their budget planning.

For those who want to protest their home valuation, the deadline to file to do so is 30 days after the date the appraisal notice is mailed. That process can be started online at eprotest.dentoncad.com.