Hays County tax assessor-collector explains bill delay

HAYS COUNTY  — Those waiting for their property tax bills can expect them to arrive by the end of December.

One of the primary responsibilities of the Office of the County Tax Assessor-Collector is to collect, record and disburse property taxes. When the certified tax roll is received from the Hays Central Appraisal District, the property values are loaded on the Tax Office’s computer system. The certified tax roll and the tax rates adopted by each taxing jurisdiction are used to levy the current property taxes in October of each year and tax statements are then generated and mailed.

Bills are typically mailed starting in October or November, but the Hays County Tax Office has been experiencing some delays this year.

“We’ve had all kinds of stuff come up this year. We’ve had numerous setbacks [and] we’ve had large legislative changes for the good of property owners; I think they're going to be pleased with the outcome of that,” said Jenifer O’Kane, PCC, Tax Assessor-Collector. “We've had vendor-related issues [and] staffing changes with some of the higher positions in my office that kind of all come together at the same time. So, we got a late start on it and we’re hoping to have these out by the end of December.”

Legislative changes that prompted the delay include increasing the homestead tax exemption from $40,000 to $100,000. Also, Texas homesteaders with disabilities and those 65-years-old and older will continue to qualify for the additional $10,000 exemption they are allowed to receive, making it a total exemption of $110,000.

In May 2022, the exemption was raised from $25,000 to $40,000 and because of this, the homesteaders did not benefit from the higher exemption when voters approved it last year. This year’s legislative change provides money for those homeowners who lost out on tax savings last year due to their frozen taxes.

“It’s going to save people quite a bit of money,” O’Kane said.

O’Kane also provided an update to the public on Wednesday, Dec. 14, on the property tax statements, saying that her office is working around the clock to get them sent out.

“The Nov. 7 election was canvassed on Nov. 14 and included propositions, which resulted in extensive changes to the manner in which tax rates and exemptions are administered,” she said in a news release. “The tax office has encountered issues with files that are imported to generate bills, but wants to assure property owners and taxing units that they are working day and night to generate the statements. The accuracy of the bills and especially the tax ceilings for our over 65 and disabled property owners are also top priority.”

While bills are not expected to be sent out until the end of this month, O’Kane said that people do have the option of pre-paying and they can have an estimate of what is going to be due.

“We encourage people to pay what they can and then anything that's left over, we can work with them on a payment plan if they're able to pay that off over a year,” she explained. “Otherwise, people just want to make a monthly payment until they get it paid off.”

O’Kane does not anticipate having a delay in sending out tax bills next year.

Payments are due by Jan. 31, 2024 and any taxes that remain unpaid on Feb. 1, 2024, are considered delinquent and penalty and interest charges will be added to the account, according to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.

For more information, or to contact the Hays County Tax Office, visit www.hayscountytx.com/departments/taxoffice or call 512-393-5545. Once statements become available, they will be posted at tax.co.hays.tx.us immediately and may be viewed, printed and paid. Paper statements will follow in the mail.