EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — El Pasoans trying to protest their property tax appraisal online this week have had to deal with the appraisal district’s portal being down.
A note on the El Paso Central Appraisal District’s (EPCAD) website reads:
“We regret to inform you that the Electronic Portal is presently unavailable due to updates mandated by the 88th Texas Legislation on the Texas Property Tax Code.”
Officials with the EPCAD said that they are working closely with their software vendors to get the portal up in the coming week or two, but that it is not a guarantee. They strongly advise people to submit their protest in time before their deadline to “ensure your rights are protected.”
The deadline for people to submit their protest is Wednesday, May 15, or 30 days after receiving their notice of appraisal value.
Officials with the EPCAD said they’re facing challenges this appraisal season as a result of changes made by the Texas Legislature to the Property Tax Code in 2023 with the passing of Senate Bill 2.
“The Legislature just did not give us enough time for the changes to be made and thoroughly tested before this appraisal season started. But they did not change our deadlines. We have the same deadlines that we always have, so we’re having to make do with a lesser capability than we’ve had in previous years. And one of the things that’s a victim of this right now is the online portal,” said Deputy Chief Appraiser of EPCAD David Stone.
Among these changes were implementing the 20 percent circuit breaker provision, how appraisal districts communicate with taxpayers, and changes to the protest form and portal.
People can still submit a protest form by mail, e-mail, or in-person. Stone also explained that people can also file a direct electronic protest at the EPCAD’s website here.
“I apologize to the public. We don’t like being in this position and not having the full functionality that we had in the past. But we’re working as hard as we can to get it working so that the citizens can take advantage of it,” said Stone.
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