Announcements

April 01, 2021

 

February marked the completion of my first year as Chief Appraiser over the Denton Central Appraisal District. Oh and what a year! As most of you know by now, I came in at the worst time or the best time depending on if you are a glass half full or half empty type of person. When I became Chief, the District had already started feeling the loss of so many tenured employees retiring, and we were working with an incomplete beta software system that left us with very few options heading into the 2020 Protest Season.

As soon as I was named Chief, I hit the ground running and began hiring a new and enthusiastic team with a heart for serving. We quickly realized the new system would not be able to keep up with the demands that a District our size required, but could not switch systems mid-protest. In July of 2020, we went out for bid on a new software company and ended up going back to the software company the District had used for the prior 10+ years. After we finally certified (limping past the finish line, beat up and bruised) we began the process of converting back to our original software. Getting back those prior years was easy, but converting the flawed 2020 data was anything but easy.

The original conversion time was estimated to be four weeks, but the data was so inaccurate and cryptic that it instead took the software company four months. Four months in our industry might as well have been a lifetime. Our software finally came back on line in January of 2021, but the issues did not stop there. As hard as the software company tried, they could not transfer all the data back over in its original form. So now our staff (who were already four months behind) are having to go in and manually calculate roughly 480,000 accounts in Denton County, while looking for errors and making corrections. They are redoing thousands of sketches that got deleted, rebuilding tables and schedules that could not be converted, and redoing exemptions that got left off in the transfer. The list is endless.

I tell you all that to say, 2021 is not going to be an easy year for the Denton Central Appraisal District. It will be bumpy and we will be behind schedule. In the last 15 months, we have hired 45 temp employees, 22 full time employees and promoted 10 employees. We have hired database administrators, software programmers and we are contracting with a company that specializes in cleaning up data. Every employee is working a minimum 50 hour week, exempt employees are working 60-70 hour weeks. Things will get done and will get cleaned up, but we still have some challenges to overcome.

Rest assured, there are encouraging aspects to the 2021 protest season and beyond. In the last year, we have created a whole new website that will stay updated and is more user friendly than ever before (it launches next week). We have improved our phone system and our online appeal system. We will be back on a trusted and reputable software system for 2021 entry and appraisal. After being with this District for over 20 years, I can say the best part is that we now have the friendliest and most service-oriented team of employees that we have ever had.

This message is not intended to worry anyone. I believe in transparency and communication, and I just want everyone to be aware of what our year ahead looks like for this District. We have a hard working staff whose only goal is to provide a better service to the Denton County property owners and entities. We will continue to work towards that goal until it is achieved.

 

 

February 26, 2021

 

You may qualify for a temporary property tax exemption for 2021!

Click here for the application and more information: Disaster Exemption Application

 

You can mail your application (with supporting evidence) to:

Denton Central Appraisal District

3911 Morse Street

Denton, TX, 76208

 

Or you can email your application (with supporting evidence) to:

helpdesk@dentoncad.com

 

 

February 26, 2021

 

CLOSED FROM MARCH 1ST-12TH

 

Due to the unforeseen circumstances of last week's snowstorm and the significant damage the District sustained as a result of a burst pipe that flooded over half our building, the Denton Central Appraisal District will be shut down to the public for two weeks, from March 1st-12th.

 

We understand all of the pressure that our property owners are under, and can assure you we will be working diligently during this time to finish unresolved 2020 appraisals, preparing for the 2021 notices, and getting our building put back in order. We sincerely hope the additional effort from our team will relieve some of the stress this difficult time has placed on the citizens of Denton County.

 

All Appraisal Review Board hearings that were cancelled during the snowstorm, will be rescheduled for March 15th-19th. Please do not overwhelm the Denton County Tax Office during this time. Until we complete the 2020 appraisals, the Tax Office is unable to do their part. We will have the website updated, supplements completed and hearings rescheduled for a reopening on March 15th.

 

Thank you for your understanding!

 

February 03, 2021

 

Dear Property Owners,

 

The Denton Central Appraisal District wants to sincerely thank you for being so patient and understanding as the District has undergone an extensive software conversion. We never anticipated our software being down for so many months which left us unable to provide the best possible service to the citizens of Denton County. This time has been extremely difficult for our staff and our administration as we are here to serve the needs of Denton County and have felt helpless during this time.

 

The District is now fully up and running on a reliable software program. We have a lot of catching up to do, and my team is working feverishly to get everything entered into the new system so we can continue to offer you the most up-to-date information and accurate answers to your questions.

 

The Appraisal Review Board is meeting from February 8th -19th, to complete 2020's Certified Roll. As soon as they have completed those hearings, the Tax Office will be provided with the correct information for 2020. The Tax Office will then be able to begin processing and provide accurate tax statements to the property owners.

 

If you are still waiting on your exemption, your freeze or anything else on your account to be updated, please email customerservice@dentoncad.com and they will let you know the status of your account as soon as possible. Emailing is going to be the most efficient way of contact. That way our customer service reps can send you proper documentation if needed.

 

Thank you,

 

Hope McClure
Chief Appraiser

 

January 21, 2021

 

2020 Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Methods and Assistance Program (MAP)

The MAP program is designed to determine whether appraisal districts are meeting minimum requirements for performing statutory and appraisal duties.

 

Mandatory Requirements	PASS/FAIL
1. Does the appraisal district have up-to-date appraisal maps?	PASS
2. Is the implementation of the appraisal district's most recent reappraisal plan current?	PASS
3. Are the appraisal district's appraisal records up-to-date and is the appraisal district following established procedures and practices in the valuation of property?	PASS
4. Are values reproducible using the appraisal district's written procedures and appraisal records?	PASS

 

 

Appraisal District Activities	RATING
Governance	MEETS ALL
Taxpayer Assistance	MEETS ALL
Operating Procedures	MEETS ALL
Appraisal Standards, Procedures, and Methodology	MEETS ALL

 

For detailed results, Click Here.

 

January 31, 2019

 

Denton CAD Earns IAAO’s Prestigious Certificate of Excellence in Assessment Administration (CEAA)

Earning the IAAO’s Certificate of Excellence in Assessment Administration (CEAA) is a rigorous and challenging task. The purpose of the IAAO CEAA is to recognize those governmental units utilizing best appraisal and assessment practices throughout their offices including a strong emphasis on teamwork, accomplishments, and a high level of satisfaction among peers, staff, and constituents. The IAAO CEAA is intended for jurisdictions that have developed superior assessment practices for all aspects of their operations.

 

We wish to congratulate you and your staff on achieving this level of excellence and commend you on your hard work and dedication. Your commitment has earned you the IAAO CEAA from the world’s premier property appraisal and assessment administration organization. By doing so, you have met all requirements for certification contained in the Assessment Practices Self-Evaluation Guide.

 

Congratulations and best regards,

 

Dorothy Jacks, AAS
IAAO President