The gathering was part of a continuing series by the H. E. Butt Foundation, “Everyone Needs a Home: A Housing Summit Series.”
SAN ANTONIO — On a frigid, rainy Monday night more than 200 people braved the elements to show up at a forum on how to build a better community.
Crowded into the Whitley Event Center, the group listened to what organizers called groundbreaking data on local residential property values and tax revenues.
The gathering was part of a continuing series by the H. E. Butt Foundation, “Everyone Needs a Home: A Housing Summit Series.”
Lea Rosenauer left the event excited about what she learned.
Rosenauer said more than one answer is needed for the challenges facing San Antonio.
“Housing is complicated and running cities takes a lot of money,” Rosenauer said. “This is a complicated issue and it’s an honor to be in a space with so many people having hard conversations about how to improve our housing situation to make it equitable and fair for all.”
Mitzi Moore said she was surprised by the amount of inequity that exists in the way properties are appraised, a problem presenters said is systemic across the nation.
“Some people in San Antonio pay more than their share of property taxes and some people in San Antonio pay less than their fair share because of the way their properties are evaluated,” Moore said after watching a presentation that made direct comparisons of real estate in wealthier and distressed neighborhoods. She was surprised to learn the data shows many disadvantaged property owners often face value increases that far outpace those assigned to wealthier residents.
“I think what surprised me the most was how well we understand the problem but how little we are doing about it,” Bill Glenn said
Glenn said he thought more was being done to ensure equity for all.
“Things are not balancing out,” Glenn said.
Glenn said as a member of the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) he wants to know more about what can be done to help people with mental illness get into safe, affordable housing.
“One of the problems we have is that the value of land and the cost of building is going up,” Glenn said.
Joe Minicozzi of Urban 3 led the discussion with revealing details that many people never stop to consider.
An extensive presentation with background on historical practices, land values and the costs of infrastructure maintenance, kept the crowd engaged.
Minicozzi said the economic impact of redlining, which dates back to the 1930s, can still be felt today as some areas have never recovered from lending practices based on discrimination.
Rogelio Sandoval is the Chief Appraiser at the Bexar County Appraisal District. Sandoval told the crowd now is the time to start thinking about how to negotiate a fair property value.
“Thursday we start our public outreach because right around the first week of April is when we will be sending out value notices,” Sandoval said.
Sandoval said as a property owner for more than 20 years here, he has seen exponential increases in his own values, as the market has grown.
“Our job is mandated by law to appraise property at 100% market value,” Sandoval said, adding property owners have a right every single year to challenge any increases in value.
Sandoval said he encourages everyone to reach out and tell their story about problems or defects that could result in a tax savings.
Sandoval said making sure every owner has every exemption they qualify for is important also.
“That’s where you feel the savings in your pocket,” Sandoval said.
Click here to learn more about help offered by the Bexar County Appraisal District.
Click here to learn more about the H.E. Butt Foundation program Know Your Neighbor.
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