CITY OF AUSTIN, TEXAS MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL CITY OF AUSTIN, TEXAS Special Meeting October 28, 1964 9:00 Α.Μ. Council Chamber, City Hall The meeting was called to order with Mayor Palmer presiding. Roll call: Present: Councilmen LaRue, Long, White, Mayor Palmer Absent: Councilman Shanks Present also: Jack Klitgaard, Tax Assessor and Collector; Paul Gladden and J. E. Olson, Property Appraisers for Tax Department and Thomas P. de Steiguer, Tax Attorney. The Mayor announced that this was a Special Meeting of the Council called for the purpose of hearing tax appeals of Frank W. Riffe, Avon M. Garrett Harrell, Cal Marshall, Elizabeth Richards and Joe W. Neal, Henry Sasse, Karl B. Wagner, N. J. Wonsley, and Delwood Center, Inc. MR. FRANK W. RIFFE appealed the values as set by the Board of Equalization on the following property: ) Full Value Full Value by Tax by Tax Dept. 1963 Dept. 1964 Assessed Value By Tax Dept. Value Rendered Assessed Value As By Owner Fixed By Board 905 West 3rd St. Land .8341 Acres of Imps $ 6,256 1,374 $ 8,341 1,199 $ 6,260 900 900 Lots 1,2 & 3,Blk. 7,Outlot 11, Div. 2, Raymonds Plateau Total $ 7,630 $ 9,540 $ 7,160 $ 4,690 $ 6,260 1,030 $5,720 $ 7,160 Mr. Riffe stated this appeal was on land only. He said there was an error in the amount of land on which he was taxed, the City showing .8341 of an acre and he had a survey showing .61 of an acre, that the City had duplicated the area on the north in excess of 44.8 feet. He stated he had paid on this .2241 of an acre since 1946 and this was an overcharge. He said this property was surrounded by Railroad property and he had no easement to cross their property they had juste used it as long as he could remember. He felt this property was not worth as much as the property surrounding it and he thought it was worth $2,500 an acre although he had rendered it for $3,260. Mr. Klitgaard said the Tax Department would need the survey to make any change and it would be a matter of computing the tax. The Mayor said the Council would go look at this property. ) _ CITY OF AUSTIN, TEXAS October 28, 1964 MRS. AVON M. GARRETT HARRELL, represented by Mr. Robert C. Sneed, appealed the values as set by the Board of Equalization on the following property: Full Value Full Value by Tax Dept. 1963 by Tax Dept. 1964 Assessed Value By Tax Dept. Value Assessed Rendered Value As By Owner Fixed By Board 2521 Quarry Road Center 50 ft. of Land $ 2,964 $ 7,500 $ 5,630 $ 2,220 $ 5,630 Imps -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- Lot 12, Block 2, Westfield A Total $ 2,964 $ 7,500 $ 5,630 $ 2,220 $ 5,630 2515 Quarry Road Land $ 3,865 East 117 ft. of Imps 6,028 $18,428 5,526 $13,820 4,140 $ 2,900 4,520 $13,820 4,140 Lot 12, Block 2 Westfield A Total $ 9,893 $23,954 $17,960 $ 7,420 $17,960 2513 Quarry Road Land $ 2,028 $10,530 $ 7,900 $ 1,520 $ 7,900 West 60 ft. Lot Imps -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- 11, Block 2, West- field A Total $ 2,028 $10,530 $ 7,900 $ 1,520 $ 7,900 Mr. Sneed introduced Mrs. Harrell. Mr. Sneed said they thought the improvements on this property should be carried at salvage value only if the land is val- ued at its highest and best use. Mr. Sneed discussed the effect of using a new formula to tax this property. He said the adjoining property was assessed on a front foot basis and this property was assessed on a square foot basis and he felt using a separte formula was discrimination and was not equal, if adjoining property is assessed at $35 per front foot and the depth factor applied then this property should be too. He said there was a covenant on this property of a 75' set-back from Quarry Road. He mentioned that there was a creek going through the property. Mr. Sneed said Mrs. Harrell had owned the property for a long time and no one had offered to develop it as apartments and they felt Quarry Road was the dividing line for apartments. He stated Mr. Conway Taylor had appraised the three parcels at $21,350. The Mayor said the Council would go look at the property. At this point Mayor Palmer left the Council Meeting and Mayor Pro-Tem LaRue presided. MR. CAL MARSHALL appealed the values as set by the Board of Equalization on the following property: Full Value Full Value by Tax Dept. 1963 by Tax Dept. 1964 Assessed Value By Tax Dept. Value Rendered Value As Assessed By Owner Fixed By Board 4700 Springdale Land Road, 2.5 Acres Imps Descrip- tion $ 6,157 10,989 $ 4,620 Not Ren- $ 4,620 8,240 dered 7,740 Henry Warnell Change Survey Total $17,146 $12,860 $12,360 CITY OF AUSTIN, TEXAS October 28, 1964 Mr. Marshall stated this appeal was on the land only. He stated part of this property was in a creek and there was an overflow problem, that about one acre was usable and the rest is not usable. He said he sold a ten acre tract just to the north of this property for $1,200 an acre and property a mile closer to town was selling for $2,000 an acre. Mr. Marshall said this was his homestead. He stated the land was not level and there was no value at all where it overflows Mr. Klitgaard explained that the property on Springdale Road was assessed at $15 a front foot and not on acreage. The Mayor Pro-tem said the Council would go out and look at this property. - MRS. ELIZABETH RICHARDS and MR. JOE W. NEAL, represented by Mr. Robert C. Sneed, appealed the values as set by the Board of Equalization on the following property: Full Value Full Value by Tax by Tax Dept. 1963 Dept. 1964 Assessed Value By Tax Dept. Value Assessed Rendered Value As By Owner Fixed By Board U.S. Hwy.183 North, 5.026 Land Imps $12,275 $24,550 $18,410 Not Ren- $18,410 -0- -0- -0- dered -0- Acres, George W. Davis Survey Total $12,275 $24,550 $18,410 $18,410 Mr. Sneed stated this property was outside the city limits. He compared this property with property on Research Road and Burnet Road. He said this property was surrounded by property assessed at $20 a front foot and theirs was $30. They felt they should be equal and the same formula should be applied, and he asked that this property be calculated on $20 a front foot for a depth of 150' and $1,500 on the back area. Mr. Sneed discussed the interchange pointing out that the cut-off isolated this property and there were long and extended islands. The Mayor Pro-tem said the Council would go out and look at this property. MR. HENRY SASSE appealed the values as set by the Board of Equalization on the following property: Full Value Full Value Braker Lane and Land Fiskville Road 158 x 200 ft. John Applegate Sur. or Lot 8B unrecorded Ludwig Subd. Imps by Tax Dept. 1963 by Tax Dept. 1964 Assessed Value By Tax Dept. Value Rendered By Owner Assessed Value As Fixed By Board $ 1,693 $ 5,288 $ 3,970 $ 1,270 $ 3,970 -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- Total $ 1,693 $ 5,288 $ 3,970 $ 1,270 $ 3,970 _ CITY OF AUSTIN, TEXAS October 28, 1964 Mr. Sasse stated this land was outside the city limits. He said the value on this property had been raised three times and there had been no change in its usage, that they had a small business across the street and on a narrow strip of land and this land was used for parking for that business and he felt the values were excessive for property outside the city. The Mayor Pro-tem said the Council would go out and look at this property. MR. KARL B. WAGNER appealed the values as set by the Board of Equalization on the following property: Full Value Full Value by Tax by Tax Assessed Value By Value Assessed Rendered Value As Dept. 1963 Dept. 1964 Tax Dept. By Owner Fixed By Board Hwy. 35 North off Land $30,475 $60,950 $45,710 $22,860 $36,430 Powell Ln., 12.19 Imps 15,229 15,229 11,420 11,420 11,420 Acres, James P. Wallace Survey Total $45,704 $76,179 $57,130 $34,280 $47,850 Rutherford Lane Land $43,249 $92,775 $69,580 $32,440 $69,580 East of Hwy. 35 82.775 Acres, James Imps 38,080 38,080 28,560 28,560 28,560 P. Wallace Sur. Total $81,329 $130,855 $98,140 $61,000 $98,140 West of North Land $32,886 $76,161 $57,120 $24,660 $57,120 Lamar on Research Imps -0- -0- -0- -0- -0- Blvd., 21.19 Acres George W. Davis Survey Total $32,886 $76,161 $57,120 $24,660 $57,120 Research Blvd., Land $14,827 $44,339 $33,250 $11,120 $27,850 between Burnet Imps -0- -0- -0- -0- -0-0- & N. Lamar, Lot 1 Research Blvd. Commercial Area Total $14,827 $44,339 $33,250 $11,120 $27,850 ) ) Mr. Wagner appeared in his own behalf stating that he was appealing the values of the land on all four tracts and the improvements on two tracts. He was not protesting the values on the vacant property in relation to the other property in the neighborhood but the fact that so few sales establish the basis of values for so much property. He stated the values had been raised 12 to 14 times in the last 5 or 6 years and he questioned that the land had been enhanced in value that fast. He said there was no revenue from this property and there were no sewers. Discussion of sales of land in the area was held, and Mr. Wagner contended that you could only make so many sales for filling stations and when the companies made their selections for their sites the rest of land would not be as valuable as the gas companies would pay almost any price for a particular location. Mr. Wagner said on the 12.19 acre tract where his office was located there was a drainage problem and he had put in sewage at his own expense and now he was being taxed because he had sewers. He said his home was located on the 83.775 acre tract and the back area had sewer available, but the property was rough and it would cost a lot of money to develop. He mentioned that he had recently sold the warehouse type buildings to be removed from the land for $4,700 and the Tax Departments CITY OF AUSTIN, TEXAS October 28, 1964 assessments were considerably higher. He said his house was 30 years old but the surrounding houses were less expensive than his. He asked that it be valued at $15,000, the little house at $3,000 and the barns at $300. He stated if there is to be orderly growth of the City someone has to buy and hold property and if the taxes are too high no one can do it. The Mayor Pro-tem said the Council would go out and look at this property. by Tax MR. N.J. WONSLEY, represented by Mr. M. B. Braswell, appealed the values as set by the Board of Equalization on the following property: Full Value Full Value Value Rendered Assessed Assessed by Tax Value By Dept. 1963 Dept. 1964 Tax Dept. By Owner Value As Fixed By Board U.S. Hwy. 183 Land Wonsley Drive & Imps $97,962 4,029 $183,003 $137,250 4,029 3,020 $55,108 2,265 $137,250 3,020 Interstate Hwy.35, 41.57 Ac., James P. Wallace Survey Total $101,991 $187,032 $140,270 $57,373 $140,270 U.S.Hwy. 183, West Land $11,790- of Interstate Hwy. Imps -0- 35, 7.86 Ac.James P. Wallace Sur. Total $11,790 $ 14,740 $ 6,630 $ 14,740 $ 14,740 $ 6,630 $ 14,740 Mr. Braswell represented Mr. Wonsley who was also present. Mr. Braswell stated at one time this was all one piece of property but it was now divided by the North East Loop. He said the valuesof this land had been raised from $148 per acre in 1953 to $4,100 per acre and it had not increased that much in value. He stated it was not definite that commercial use was indicated for this property and if it was sold for residential use $3,000 would be all you could get. He discussed the overpass in relation to this property. Councilman Long inquired if the right-of-way was donated or did the State buy it and Mr. Braswell stated he did not know. Mr. Wonsley said he gave the City an 80' right-of-way. Mayor Pro-tem LaRue said the Council would go look at this property. $ 19,650 -0- -0- -0- -0- $ 19,650 DELWOOD CENTER, INC. by Rogan B. Giles, appealed the values as set by the Board of Equalization on the following property: Full Value Full Value by Tax Dept. 1963 by Tax Dept. 1964 Assessed Value By Tax Dept. Riverside Drive Land Division $62,228 $46,720 6.70 Acres, Isaac Imps Decker League of -0. -0- Property Total $62,228 $46,720 Value Rendered By Owner Assessed Value As Fixed By Board $46,720 -0- $46,720 CITY OF AUSTIN, TEXAS October 28, 1964 Mr. Giles stated this 6.70 acre tract was on Town Lake west of South Shore Apartments. He said this vacant property was being treated the same as property with improvements on it and he felt they should not be assessed the same. He said this property was still in the process of being filled in and he thought it was 30% too high in relation to the adjacent property. He commended the Tax Department and stated he knew that they had many tough problems. The Mayor Protem said the Council would go out and look at this property. The Council adjourned at 11:40 A.M. subject to the call of the Mayor. ATTEST: Brace Monroe Assistant City Clerk APPROVED Lao to E. Palmer Mayor