Tyler County News - Breakout

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The Woodville Lions Club had its annual “Hat Day” last Thursday evening at its meeting at the Lions Den. The club is prepping for its annual Western Weekend Rodeo next weekend. CHRIS EDWARDS | TCB

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Youth baseball in Tyler County rang in its 50th year during opening weekend last weekend. Hennigan Park was filled with young baseball and softball athletes building their skills and having fun. Lee Mann, who serves as president of the Rotary Club of Woodville, threw out the first pitch on Saturday. The Rotarians donated the new scoreboard for the field.PHOTOS BYBECKI BYRD | TCB

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Members of the Woodville ISD Board of Trustees, Superintendent Lisa Meysembourg and members of the committee that promoted the WISD bond issue broke ground on Monday evening for the new Woodville Elementary campus. Pictured left-to-right: Jimmy Tucker; John Wilson; Josh McClure; Bryan Shirley; Kris Fowler; Richard “Kooter” Shaw; John David Risinger; Lisa Meysembourg; Eleanor Holderman; Trey Allison and Laura Conner. CHRIS EDWARDS | TCB

By Chris Edwards
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WOODVILLE – Monday evening marked a chapter in Woodville ISD’s “building the future,” according to superintendent Lisa Meysembourg.

The WISD Board of Trustees, along with Meysembourg and three members of the committee of community members responsible for promoting the bond issue that passed allowing the project’s construction, broke ground for the new Woodville Elementary School campus.

The site is located just west of the Woodville High School and Woodville Middle School campuses, on US 287. The new building is the feather in the cap of a slate of district-wide improvements made possible by a $47.8 million bond, which the voters passed in 2022.

Prior to the bond issue going before voters, a district task force was appointed; made up of various members of the community. The consensus was that a new elementary campus was needed to replace Wheat Elementary and Woodville Intermediate.

Eleanor Holderman, Lauren Conner and Trey Allison were on hand from that task force, which Meysembourg said represented a sort of PAC to stress the importance of the bond issue to the voters.

Representatives from Gallagher Construction, the firm building the project, along with reps from Goodwin, Lasiter, Strong, which is the firm responsible for the design phase, were on hand.

In his remarks after the ceremonial groundbreaking, WISD board president Jimmy Tucker spoke of the importance of the project for the future of the district and gave thanks to everyone who had a part to play in its process. He ended by thanking Meysembourg, whom he called “the greatest superintendent in the state of Texas,” and noted all of the work she put in, attending meetings and travelling to workshops and other endeavors to help with the project.

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Special to the Booster

WOODVILLE - New and updated property tax information has just been compiled by the Tyler County Appraisal District and is available now to assist taxpayers. This property tax information is current and covers a wide range of topics, such as taxpayer remedies, exemptions and appraisals, and has information for select groups, such as disabled veterans and persons age 65 or older.

“Whether you are a homeowner, business owner, disabled veteran or taxpayer, it’s important you know your rights concerning property tax laws” said David Luther, Chief Appraiser of the Tyler County Appraisal District. “You can contact us about any property tax issues with full confidence that we will provide the most complete, accurate and up-to­ date information available to assist you.”

This includes information about the following programs:

• Property Tax Exemptions for Disabled Veterans - The law provides partial exemptions for any property owned by disabled veterans or surviving spouses and surviving children of deceased disabled veterans. Another partial exemption is for homesteads donated to disabled veterans by charitable organizations at no cost or not more than 50 percent of the good faith estimate of the homestead’s market value to disabled veterans and their surviving spouses. The exemption amount is determined according to percentage of service-connected disability. The law also provides a 100 percent homestead exemption for 100 percent disabled veterans and their surviving spouses and surviving spouses of U.S. armed service members killed or fatally injured in the line of duty.

• Property Tax Exemptions - Non-profit organizations that meet statutory requirements may seek property tax exemptions and must apply to their local appraisal district by a specific date. Child-care facilities; medical or biomedical property; businesses that receive tax abatements granted by taxing units; ship inventory out of Texas that may be eligible for the freeport exemption; store certain goods in transit in warehouses that are moved within 175 days; construct, install or acquire pollution control property; own and operate energy storage systems; convert landfill-generated gas; or store offshore drilling equipment while not in use may also be eligible for statutory exemptions.

• Rendering Taxable Property - If a business owns tangible personal property that is used to produce income, the business must file a rendition with the appraisal district by a specified date. Personal property includes inventory and equipment used by a business. Owners do not have to render exempt property such as church property or an agriculture producer’s equipment used for farming.

• Appraisal Notices - Normally, taxpayers receive a notice of appraised value from the appraisal district. The city, county, school districts and other local taxing units use the appraisal district’s value to set property taxes for the coming year.

• Taxpayer Assistance Pamphlet - This Comptroller publication explains in detail the functions of a taxpayer liaison officer, how to protest a property appraisal, what issues the county appraisal review board (ARB) can consider and what to expect during a protest hearing. The publication also discusses the option to request limited binding arbitration to compel the ARB or chief appraiser to comply with a procedural requirement and the options of taking a taxpayer’s case to district court, the State Office of Administrative Hearings or regular binding arbitration if the taxpayer is dissatisfied with the outcome of the ARB hearing.

• Homestead Exemptions - A homestead is generally defined as the home and land used as the owner’s principal residence on Jan. 1 of the tax year. A person who acquires property after Jan. 1 may receive the residence homestead exemption for the applicable portion of that tax year immediately on qualification for the exemption if the preceding owner did not receive the same exemption for that tax year. A homestead exemption reduces the home’s appraised value and, as a result, can lower property taxes. Applications are submitted to the appraisal district.

• Productivity Appraisal - Property owners who use land for timberland production, agricultural purposes or wildlife management may be eligible for property tax relief on their land. They may apply to the appraisal district for an agricultural special appraisal which may result in a lower appraisal of the land based on production, rather than market value.

• Residence Homestead Tax Deferral - Texas homeowners may postpone paying the currently delinquent property taxes due on the appreciating value of their homes by filing a tax deferral affidavit at their local appraisal district. This tax relief allows homeowners to pay the property taxes on 105 percent of the preceding year’s appraised value of their homestead, plus the taxes on any new improvements to the homestead. The deferral does not cancel the taxes, but postpones them, with interest accruing at 8 percent per year.

• Property Tax Deferral for Persons Age 65 or Older or Disabled or Disabled Veteran Homeowners - Texans who are age 65 or older or disabled, as defined by law, or who qualify for a disabled veteran exemption may postpone paying current and delinquent property taxes on their homes by signing a tax deferral affidavit. Once the affidavit is on file, taxes are deferred, but not cancelled, as long as the owner continues to own and live in the home. Interest continues to accrue at 5 percent per year on the unpaid taxes. You may obtain a deferral affidavit at the appraisal district.

• Protesting Property Appraisal Values - Property owners who disagree with the appraisal district’s appraisal of their property for local taxes or for any other action that adversely affects them may protest their property value to the appraisal review board. However, there are deadlines and conditions for doing so.

• Informal Meetings - Property owners can request an informal meeting with appraisal district staff to try and resolve their disputes prior to attending ARB hearings.

For more information about these programs, contact the Tyler County Appraisal District:

1. In person, at 806 W Bluff Street in Woodville, Texas;

2. By telephone, at (409) 283-3736; or

3. By email, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..