NATIONAL

National Construction Backlog Persists Despite Commercial, Industrial Pullback
BisNow
Construction firms are still reporting backlogs longer than nine months on average, according to the latest report from Associated Builders and Contractors. The average backlog of 9.2 months is flat from November, and the highest it has been since the second quarter of 2019, the national industry group found in a survey of its members between Dec. 20 and Jan. 5.

'Home equity theft': A new study says 12 states allow local governments to seize far more than what's owed from homeowners who are behind on taxes — 3 ways to protect yourself
Yahoo Finance
The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. It's an old aphorism, but for many Americans — especially if they struggle to keep up with bills — it has a new meaning. In 12 states and the District of Columbia, local governments can seize a homeowner's property, along with any equity they may have built up if they fail to pay their property tax bills.

COLORADO

Colorado Justices Grapple With Pandemic-Era Property Tax Cases
Bloomberg Tax
The Colorado Supreme Court dug Wednesday into four cases filed by hundreds of businesses arguing that their commercial properties should have been reassessed to take pandemic restrictions into account.

IOWA

Commercial property values expected to jump 20% in Polk County
Business Record
Values of commercial properties in Polk County will likely grow an average of 20% in 2023, with increases varying across property type, Polk County assessor officials said. However, not all of 2022's commercial sales have been researched, so the estimate could change, officials said.

NEW YORK

Empty NYC offices could yield up to 20,000 new homes
Urbanize New York
On Monday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams unveiled recommendations from the Office Adaptive Reuse Task Force and Department of City Planning which could pave the way for transforming vacant offices across into as many as 20,000 homes.

TENNESSEE

University of Tennessee student housing developer wins PILOT funding
Knox News
A student housing development company with properties in 45 communities across the country has convinced Knoxville leaders to freeze property taxes on the 23 parcels it plans to transform on "The Strip" near the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus.

TEXAS

DCAD's 'Laissez-Faire' Response to Ransomware Attack Causes Frustration as Tax Deadline Looms
CandysDirt.com
The Dallas Central Appraisal District is still operating on a bare-bones website in the wake of a ransomware attack, and one local tax expert says homeowners who corresponded electronically with the local office could be facing a security threat of their own.

'We must do something about runaway appraisals' says Texas speaker on rising property taxes
CBS DFW
During the opening day of the 88th Texas Legislative session Tuesday, House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont said he's committed to providing homeowners with relief from rising property taxes. "Time and time again, we've seen the legislature provide some form of property tax relief. 

Lufkin EDC approves economic plan for $250M investment for Jefferson Energy
KTRE
A 250-million dollar investment is expected to bring nearly 200 jobs to the city of Lufkin. Lufkin Economic Development Corporation (LED) announced the approval of an economic incentive grant to Jefferson Energy doing business as Jefferson Enterprise Energy, LLC (Jefferson) and to the STI Group doing business as Texas Star Industrial Manufacturing, LLC (STI).

WISCONSIN

Republicans reintroduce eliminating personal property tax
CBS58
There's a renewed effort at the state Capitol to eliminate one of Wisconsin's oldest taxes. We're talking about the personal property tax which is tax businesses pay on equipment like furniture and fixtures. Democrats and Republicans have long supported legislation to repeal the tax, but it's faced hurdles due to how the bill was written.