The top local stories this morning from KERA News: Tarrant County taxpayers are due about 12 million dollars in property tax refunds.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports county officials blame the issue on software problems plaguing the Tarrant Appraisal District since the spring. A switch to new software prevented accurate appraisals of some properties last year. Surrounding school districts said they lost millions in property tax revenue as a result.
However, Tarrant Chief Appraiser Jeff Law said the software problem’s not to blame. He said about 30 percent of the refunds are for homestead exemptions granted for the 2015 tax year. The applications for them were received and processed during the 2016 tax year.
A recent letter sent out by Tarrant County Tax Assessor Ron Wright said the only way officials can find the money for the refunds is to stop planned tax payments to county entities – such as cities, school districts, and even the county itself.
County officials say they’re beginning to work through a list of who get a property tax refund. Taxpayers can call the Tax Assessor-Collector's office, or wait to see if they get a refund in the mail.
Other stories this morning:
- After surviving meningitis, a young girl in North Texas couldn’t hear for eight months. This edition of Breakthroughs explores the difficulty in catching hearing loss in toddlers.
- Just when you thought the Olympics were over, the 2016 Paralympics will kick off in Rio de Janiero next week. Three North Texans will be among the competitors.
You can listen to North Texas stories weekdays at 8:22 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. on KERA 90.1 FM.
