This month Bexar County voters will choose their first-ever elected representatives on the Appraisal District’s board of directors — positions that are meant to give taxpayers more eyes and ears on the property valuation process.
Appraisal values, meaning the amount the local government believes a property is worth, have become a source of much consternation for San Antonio homeowners in recent years.
They’re determined based on sales prices of similar properties in the area, causing many people to see theirs rise dramatically from an explosive housing market, even when they’ve made no changes to their homes.
“I just sold a house maybe three months ago where the [taxable] value was $319,000, but in the open market, it wouldn’t bring in more than $199,000,” said Stephen Spears, a realtor who is running for Place 2 on the board. “I just see that as a big gap that something needs to be done about.”
It’s unclear how much power the new elected officials will have, but the three positions drew interest from a host of candidates with extensive backgrounds in real estate, government and homeowners’ groups.
Place 1 was decided outright in the May election after Naomi Elizabeth Miller, a longtime district director to former Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, took 53% of the vote.
Voters must now select between the top two finishers for Place 2 and Place 3 in a June 15 runoff, because no candidate met the required 50% threshold. Early voting for the runoff begins Monday, June 3.
Spears is up against Erika Hizel, who runs an advocacy group for small landlords, and finished first in the race for Place 2.
For Place 3, voters will choose between Robert Bruce, founder of the Boerne Stage Airfield and G.L. “Larry” Lamborn, a retired CIA and Army Reserve officer.
The races are at-large and nonpartisan, so all registered Bexar County voters are eligible to participate. A sample ballot can be viewed here, and more information about the four candidates can be found below.
A quiet election
The Republican-led Texas Legislature created the positions last year, part of a major property tax overhaul that voters approved in the November constitutional amendments.
But only large counties must create the new elected board seats, leading some to complain that the elections are a waste of taxpayer funds.
Elected members will serve on a board with other members appointed by the various taxing agencies. Their roles have historically been administrative. But the tax law gave appraisal boards new authority to oversee their counties’ appraisal review boards, whose members are paid to hear and decide challenges to property tax valuations.
So far, the state’s large counties have shown varying interest in the positions.
Big money was spent on the races in Tarrant County, and conservative County Judge Tim O’Hare took a major role in installing his preferred candidates. In Travis County, candidates backed by the Democratic Party swept the new positions. Meanwhile, El Paso County’s races drew so little interest that officials were able to skip the election and automatically install three unopposed candidates.
Political groups in Bexar County chose favorites in the races, but the candidates raised and spent little money, according to the most recent campaign finance reports.
BCAD spokeswoman Jennifer Rodriguez said the agency will pay the Bexar County Elections Department $500,000 from its operating budget and reserve accounts to conduct the runoff election.
The elections department initially estimated it would cost upwards of $1 million, she said, but the candidates agreed to reduce the number of polling sites from 244 in the municipal election to 40 in the runoff, reducing the cost.
Going forward the positions will be elected on the November ballot, starting in 2026.
Place No. 2
Erika Hizel
Erika Hizel started her career as a first-time home buyer counselor. She now owns her own real estate company, Kimeaux Investments, and runs an advocacy group for small landlords, the San Antonio Property Owners Alliance, that helps them navigate the valuation appeals process.
Hizel, who lives in the Woodlands of Camino Real Neighborhood, and has the backing of several Democratic groups and elected officials. She said her deep understanding of the appraisal process would allow her to take information back to homeowners and explain their concerns to the board.
Website: http://www.erikahizel.com
Stephen Spears
Stephen Spears is a realtor at Stonepoint Properties, Inc. who lives in the El Sendero neighborhood in San Antonio.
He grew up on San Antonio’s East Side and told the Northeast Neighborhood Alliance his primary concern was making sure every property owner is treated fairly when they go before the appraisal review board, even if they’re still learning about the appraisal protest process.
Website: None
Place No. 3
G.L. “Larry” Lamborn
G.L. “Larry” Lamborn is a retired CIA and Army Reserve officer who serves as president of the North Central Thousand Oaks Neighborhood Association on San Antonio’s North Side. He represented District 9 on San Antonio’s redistricting commission.
Lamborn says he’s running because homeowners in his neighborhood have complained about the appraisal review process, and he hopes to improve those interactions. He’s proposing a feedback system where people who interact with the appraisal review board rate the review board members based on their experience.
Website: None
Robert Bruce
Robert Bruce is the founder, designer and builder of the Boerne Stage Airfield. He is closely involved with a number of state and national conservative organizations, including the Conservative Partnership Institute, the Club for Growth, the Heritage Foundation and the Texas Public Policy Foundation, which care about reducing the size of government.
Bruce told the San Antonio Report that he wants the board to set goals of reducing the number of protests and lawsuits filed over property valuations. He also wants the elected board members from large counties across the state to present their findings about the appraisal process to the state legislature.
Website: roberthbruce.com
