13 Investigates why some homeowners are paying more in property taxes
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- When Tonya Cooper inherited the property where she grew up in the north side of Houston, she was shocked to see just how much she owed in property taxes.
"My dad remarried, and he passed, and then his wife was able to live here up until she passed. But during that time, property taxes weren't paid when she fell sick," Cooper told 13 Investigates. "She had cancer."
Now, Cooper owes the county $35,000 in property taxes, which includes nearly $12,000 in interest, or she could risk losing her home.
"It's stressful. I mean, I don't want to lose my home. I have a baby I am taking care of and you know, we have to have somewhere to go. If I lose my home, I don't have nowhere to go," Cooper said.
Cooper said she's already paid Harris County nearly $10,000 toward the taxes, and is on a payment plan for the next three years to pay off the debt she inherited.
When she reflects on how she got here, the first-time homeowner said there are some things that could have helped her lower her property tax bill sooner if she had known about them, including applying for a homestead exemption.
For example, if a homeowner qualifies for a $100,000 homestead exemption on a home appraised at $300,000, they would only pay property taxes on $200,000 of the home's value.
"They never explained anything to me about it. I never lived in a house before. I never had the property taxes, but now I do, and I don't understand it. I'm trying to learn more about it and stuff like that," Cooper said. "It's confusing."
Cooper said once she applied for the homestead exemption, she noticed her property tax bill went down.
13 Investigates and the ABC-owned television station's data team found disparities when it comes to the percentage of taxes a resident is paying compared to their home value.
Residents in neighborhoods like Tonya's, where 93% are minorities, are paying nearly 20% more in property taxes despite living in homes that are lower in property value, according to an analysis of Harris County Tax Office data.
The disparity creates an assessor gap, said Dr. Steve Sherman, a researcher at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University.
SEE ALSO: New online guide for Harris County homeowners to help protest property taxes
May 15 is the deadline for Harris County residents to protest their property appraisals, which could lower both the appraised value and the amount they owe in property taxes.
But, Sherman said the process can be a bigger burden for some.
Knowing the strategies for making successful appeals to public authorities requires a lot of time, education and money, frankly, and those resources aren't evenly distributed across Harris County and Houston.Dr. Steve Sherman, Kinder Institute for Urban Research
"Knowing the strategies for making successful appeals to public authorities requires a lot of time, education, and money, frankly, and those resources aren't evenly distributed across Harris County and Houston," Sherman said. "Poorer residents don't have the time or the money to successfully make appeals to local taxing authorities in order to get their assessments lower, so you find over time those kinds of percentage increases will be higher."
In Texas, there's not a state income tax, so teachers' salaries, road improvements, and other local public services come from the property taxes we pay.
But that, too, can be a bigger burden for some.
"If you're earning $35,000 a year and your property tax bill is $5,000, that's one-seventh of your income going to public services as opposed to somebody who's earning millions of dollars and they have a $20,000 property tax bill, which isn't cheap but that's a much lower share of their income," Sherman said.
Cooper said she's concerned the developments in her community will drive her property taxes up. But, she remains optimistic that she can stick to the county's payment plan to pay off the taxes she owes so she doesn't pass that down to her children.
"What can you do but pay them? Lose your house or pay them," she said.
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