On Jan. 24, 2013, the Irving City Council approved a resolution which authorized the creation of the Bridges of Las Colinas PID to finance certain public improvements for the benefit of property in the PID. The City of Irving is the governing body of the PID. The City of Irving issued Combination Tax and Revenue Certificates of Obligation, Series 2013A (the “Bonds”) in the amount of $8,984,348.75 to finance public improvements within the PID. Those improvements include:

1. Addition of three bridges.
2. Construction of a dam.
3. Dredging of the established lake.
4. Park and open space improvements.
5. Addition of a trail system.
6. Sanitary sewer improvements.
7. A new water distribution system.

The Bonds are to be repaid by annual assessments based on lot square footage of the properties in the PID.

In conjunction with creating the PID, the Irving City Council established the Bridges of Las Colinas Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) and dedicated 50 percent of the city’s Maintenance and Operations portion of the new incremental taxes generated by the Bridges of Las Colinas development toward paying the bond payments. This TIRZ payment reduces the annual assessment paid by Bridges of Las Colinas property owners.

File a written protest with the Dallas Central Appraisal District (DCAD) by May 31. A protest form is available, but a notice of protest is sufficient if it identifies the owner, the property that is subject to the protest, and indicates that you are dissatisfied with a decision made by the district.

The protest will be heard by an independent panel of the Appraisal Review Board — these are residents which are not employees of the appraisal district.

If you believe the value of your property is too high, examples of items to provide the panel include:

1. A closing statement if you recently purchased the property, or
2. The sales price of other homes in your neighborhood if they have recently been sold.

If you owned your home on Jan. 1 and it is your primary residence, the city grants a 20 percent exemption on the value.

The city also provides tax relief for elderly (65 and older) and disabled homeowners who meet certain requirements.

More details, including in formation on how to apply, is available on the Property Tax Information page.

If the Dallas Central Appraisal District (DCAD) processes the application before the tax roll is certified in July, then the original tax bill will reflect the correction. If not, then a corrected statement will be sent to the taxpayer when it is processed.

If a mortgage company was sent the original bill, they will probably pay the higher amount and the city will refund the difference after receipt of the payment.

In instances where the application is not processed by Jan. 31, homeowners should pay the amount on the original bill or contact each taxing entity and have them calculate an anticipated corrected bill.

If no payment is made, late charges will be incurred, even if DCAD subsequently submits the correction.

State law permits the waiving of late charges only if an act or omission by the tax entity or the appraisal district causes the taxpayer to be late.

Failure of the Postal Service to cancel an envelope on Jan. 31, even though the payment was placed in a mailbox on Jan. 31, is not sufficient for a waiver.

In February, the Dallas County Tax Office will send a delinquent tax notice. The notice will include late penalty and interest charges of 7 percent on the unpaid balance.

Each additional month the bill remains unpaid, additional penalty and interest charges are added.

State laws provide that the penalty charges can be as much as 12 percent, and interest is accrued at the rate of 1 percent per month. There is no maximum amount of interest.

Outside attorneys hired to collect delinquent taxes can charge an additional 20 percent penalty to cover their fees. In addition, if a delinquent tax lawsuit is filed, then court costs will be incurred by the taxpayer.