Comptroller's Report
The Comptroller’s Property Tax Division (PTD), in cooperation with the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association, is conducting a pilot project to examine alternatives for sampling utility and railroad companies for the property value study (PVS).
Current sampling methodology of utility and railroad companies uses appraisals. These appraisals are of the entire company (unit valuation) rather than appraising the separate property of each company as it exists in a given school district. To arrive at the value of the utility/railroad company for a particular school district, the PTD allocates the value of the entire property to the subject school. In other words, PTD appraises a utility/railroad company and then allocates the value to each school district where the company is located. For 2002, the estimated category sample size is approximately 46 utility and railroad companies.
The purpose of the pilot project is to determine the feasibility of revising this methodology and developing an alternative sampling method that allows for selecting any utility property in a school district. The pilot project utilizes information from both a rural and a metropolitan school district to examine the revised methodology.
Preliminary results of the current pilot project indicate that the PTD would include additional companies in the PVS if the revised sampling methodology is adopted. The sampling for a school district would be made only from the utility or railroad companies in that school district. The PTD has conducted three meetings with industry representatives and other stakeholders to discuss the pilot projects and will continue to work with the stakeholders to determine the feasibility of implementing such a revised sampling methodology.
For more information about the pilot projects or the PVS methodology, contact Clint Simmons, Taxpayer Liaison, by e-mail at clinton.simmons@cpa.state.tx.us or by phone at 1-800-252-9121, extension 3-5288. In Austin, call (512) 463-5288.
