NATIONAL

Property taxes on U.S. homes rose to $328 billion in 2021, report finds
The Washington Post
Attom's researchers reviewed property tax data for nearly 87 million homes in the United States and found that $328 billion was levied, up 1.6 percent from the $323 billion in 2020.

ARIZONA

Ariz. Lawmakers OK Electronic Property Tax Exemption Filings
Law360
Arizona would allow taxpayers claiming property tax exemptions or correcting errors to file affidavits electronically to county assessors under legislation approved by the state Legislature and now headed to the governor...

CONNECTICUT

General Assembly Adopts Revaluation Delay Bill
Pullman & Comley, LLC - JDSupra
The Connecticut General Assembly recently passed a bill (File No. 678) that would allow 10 municipalities to postpone their upcoming revaluations by a year. Without legislative authority to postpone, revaluations in Connecticut are required to be conducted every five years.

ILLINOIS

Cook County assessor's race heats up with $1 million contribution to challenger in Democratic primary
Chicago Tribune
One of the biggest campaign races in Cook County ratcheted up Wednesday as Kari Steele, the top challenger to first-term incumbent Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi, received a $1 million contribution from a political fund backed by the influential operating engineers union.

Chinatown Square mall owners face new tax problem after years of not paying Cook County property taxes
Chicago Sun-Times
Every year for more than a decade, Cook County officials billed the Chinatown Square mall for property taxes on its common areas — the plaza, corridors and stairways that connect its restaurants and stores.

INDIANA

Separation Anxiety? Indiana Tax Sale Separates Ownership of Land and Improvements
SmithAmundsen LLC - JDSupra
Can improvements to real estate, such as buildings, be owned separately from the land beneath them? This is not usual; however, a recent decision from the Indiana Court of Appeals has gone a step farther by recognizing separate real estate tax parcel numbers to improvements sold separately from the underlying real estate.

City of Lafayette grants Dana Fairfield $10 million tax abatement
purdueexponent.org
The Lafayette City Council has approved a 10-year personal property tax abatement in an economic revitalization area for Fairfield Manufacturing, a division of Dana Corp., that is committing to a $10 million investment for manufacturing equipment.

NORTH CAROLINA

Has Guilford County valued your house too high? You can appeal that, but be sure to bring some evidence.
Greensboro
With the sharp rise in property values, Guilford County homeowners are likely wondering — maybe even fretting — how much their property tax is going to be this year.

TENNESSEE

Tenn. ALJ Says Church's Empty Lots Aren't Tax-Exempt
Law360
A Tennessee church property with a structure where charitable activities take place is exempt from property taxes, but two unimproved lots are not, an administrative law judge ruled.

TEXAS

For-profit ventures tied to Galveston County megachurch cited for not paying some taxes
Houston Chronicle
As a young man, megachurch pastor Walter Hallam liked to say he wanted to become a "Christian millionaire and a good deacon — in that order." Hallam won't divulge whether he is a millionaire today, but...

Texans overwhelmingly vote to amend the state constitution on property taxes
KUT Radio
Texas voters overwhelmingly supported two constitutional amendments on Saturday that economists and experts say will help slow down property tax growth, albeit modestly.

Bee County owed thousands in taxes from energy company
kiiitv.com
A Danish company called Orsted is putting up 66 wind turbines and one million solar panels. However, Bee County Commissioner Dennis DeWitt told 3News that the company kept its agriculture exemption and never informed the County that it was placing the solar panels there.

Wall Street buying up San Antonio homes, turning them into rentals
WOAI
The average rent in San Antonio has gone up 19 percent from last year. The median mortgage payment on a home has jumped 33 percent. One factor pushing up housing prices: Wall Street investment firms grabbing up hundreds of homes and turning them into rentals.

Protests in Downtown El Paso focus on property tax burdens on homeowners
KTSM
“The unnecessary increase in property taxes, it's been an ongoing issue for years they just keep raising them and raising them and there's no end in sight. Those that bought our houses a long time ago that haven't paid off were going to be taxed out of our home right now my taxes are approaching $1000 a month,” said Leslie Rhen.

WYOMING

Property tax assessments for Natrona County mail Wednesday; valuations up about 15%
Oil City News
Natrona County property tax valuation notices will be issued by the assessor's office Wednesday, May 4, and the unflagging seller's market means many taxpayers should prepare to see their assessments go up.