File photo
File photo
Businesses in Downtown Harlingen have a new headache aside from the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic: rising appraisals.
The Cameron County Appraisal District, which raised property values in the four-block Jackson Street business district by 43% last year, raised more concerns among proprietors when Antique and Artisans Emporium owner June Ramirez received reappraisals of more than $20,000. The district seeks to increase values along Jackson Street by about 13%.
Ramirez chastised the county for raising taxes during the coronavirus outbreak.
“I paid my taxes, paid my insurance and by the time March came along I didn’t have any money." she told The Brownsville Herald. "It put me totally cash broke.”
Despite Gov. Greg Abbott’s multi-phase efforts to safely reopen the Texas economy, Jackson Street, which is known for its many antique shops, has businesses that remained shuttered.
Property owner Bill DeBrooke told the Herald he is deeply concerned with the appraisal district’s recent actions.
“From a property owners’ standpoint, if you raise the value of my property or increase my tax rate, the end result is the same — I still pay higher taxes,” DeBrooke said. “They hit us last year and they keep pushing up values. Property tax has become the largest single business expenditure that I have.”
Alerts Sign-up