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DATEDISTRIBUTED S (/// F lo 7 DATE OFARTICLE 5 bO /y 7 NEWSPAPER(S4ee/ers,co"
' A move that changed
a
�««,� { �i, 0.a eyc.�,r•-. V�`I, �� _
his future
s
Thursday, May 10,2007
By Teresa Varlet'
' Steelers.com
The road to the NFL varies for every player, but when you look at the Steelers draft picks, fourth-round selection
' Ryan McBean has traveled the toughest path.
McBean was born in Jamaica where he was forced to grow up fast. His parents separated when he was young and
' in an attempt to make a better life for her family, his mother headed to the United States, where she lived in Brook-
lyn, New York, close to family.
When she left, money was tight, and she couldn't take McBean and his brother with her. So they were left behind,
' living in foster care for several years.
"Just like everybody else, I had a hard time growing up," said McBean. "I had to grow up and be a man at a real
young age. It's okay though. I've overcome all of that, and here I am now. So, I'm good."
tAfter a few years, his mother became settled in the United States and made enough money Y Y to fl her boys to Brook-
lyn to live with her.
And it seemed like all was going to be fine. But, it wasn't.
"I wasn't running with the right crowd, and my brother wasn't running with the right crowd at the time," said McBean,
' who was 14 when he arrived in Brooklyn. "He got into some little trouble."
And it was then his grandmother stepped in and encouraged them to move and make a fresh start. So they hopped
' aboard a Greyhound bus and headed for Texas, a place they knew nothing about and where they would be on their
own.
It was the best move they could have made for McBean as that's when football entered his world. And it helped mold
' his future.
He attended Trinity High School in Euless, Texas where football was a right of passage for young men and that
' helped put him on the right path.
I had some real good coaches and real good teachers that cared about me," said McBean. "People in Euless—in
the Fort Worth area—they really care about the players, and they looked after me as soon as I came into the dis-
trict—the coaches and the teachers and everything else. I had a chance to cope with my surroundings. At Trinity
they helped out a whole lot. They fit me into the system a whole lot."
' Playing at Trinity was McBean's introduction to football, and even though he had an outstanding career at Oklahoma
State, he still is growing and developing.
"I'm still learning. Put me with a coach; I'm just like a kid,"said McBean. "I'm still learning, and I want to learn. I want
' to keep learning. I'm good right now, but I know that I could be better. I could be great at anything that I could do.
That's my position; I'm very young at the game. I'm with Coach Mitchell now, and he's going to teach me everything
that he can."
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DATEDISTRIBUTED l u ( �� DATE OFARTICLE � NEWSPAPER_marketwire.co
DGSE Companies, Inc. Announces Acquisition of All of the Assets of Euless Gold &
Silver
DALLAS,TX—(MARKET WIRE) — 05/10/2007— DGSE Companies, Inc. (NASDAQ: DGSE,which '
wholesales, retails and auctions fine watches,jewelry, diamonds, precious metal and rare coin products via
traditional and Internet channels,today announced that it has completed the acquisition of all of the tangible '
and intangible assets of Euless Gold& Silver. The business will operate under the Dallas Gold & Silver
Exchange name immediately. The transaction was completed for cash and a note and is expected to be
immediately accretive to earnings. DGSE did not assume any liabilities of Euless Gold & Silver in the
transaction.To facilitate the transaction DGSE's primary lender modified its current credit facility and '
increased the company's lines of credit.
"We are very pleased to have an opportunity to acquire the assets of a business with a 28-year history that did '
approximately$ 3.2 million in profitable revenue in fiscal 2006,"noted William H. Oyster, President and Chief
Operating Officer of DGSE Companies, Inc. Mr. Oyster continued, "We had previously announced our
intention to enter the Fort Worth,Texas market and the acquisition of a profitable existing business in the area
allows us to immediately integrate these activities with our existing operations. The acquisition of the Euless
operations along with the anticipated closing of our acquisition of Superior Galleries, Inc. in Beverly Hills,
I California in late May will provide DGSE with a more diversified platform for future growth. We will continue to
explore other opportunities to buy or build to extend both our revenue and earnings."
DGSE Companies, Inc.wholesales and retails jewelry, diamonds, fine watches and precious metal bullion
products and rare coins to domestic and international customers through its Dallas Gold and Silver Exchange
and Charleston Gold and Diamond Exchange subsidiaries and as well as through the internet. DGSE also
owns Fairchild International, Inc., one of the largest vintage watch wholesalers in the country. In addition to its
retail facilities,the Company operates live Internet auctions which can be accessed at www.dgse.com. Real-
time price quotations and real-time order execution in precious metals are provided on another DGSE web site
at www.USBullionExchange.com.Wholesale customers can access our full vintage watch inventory through
the restricted site at www.FairchildWatches.com.
The Company is headquartered in Dallas,Texas and its common stock trades on The Nasdaq Stock Market®
under the symbol "DGSE."
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DA TE DISTRIBUTED 1 b I () -� DATE OFARTICLE S / 1 0 10 NEWSPAPER,pegasusnews.com
Note to bilingual wannabes: Euless Public
Library will let you learn a foreign language for
free
tBY CHAD JONES
' The Euless Library has partnered with
RosettaStone language learning
' software—a program you might have
used/abhorred in 10th grade—to provide
' free online classes for Euless library card
holders.
Thus, you can learn a language online, for
' free, whenever you want. Languages
include Spanish (Latin America & Spain),
' French, German, Greek, Italian, Russian,
and English, which you would actually
' need to know to read this message.
Registration is free. Just create a user
' name, password and have your Euless Library card number. Bon voyage.
1
1
1
1
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NORTHEAST
& AREA BRIEFS
23-month-old hit by car in driveway
EULESS—A 23-month-old was struck by a car that was
backing out of a driveway about 9 p.m. Friday at a home in
the 700 block of Ranger Drive,police said.The toddler was
taken to Harris Methodist HIB.Hospital in Bedford and
later flown to Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort '
Worth.The child's condition was unknown late Friday,and
police did not release the child's name because all relatives
hadn't been notified yet. —Melissa Vargas '
I
I
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DATEDISTRIBUTED 5 I l -7 DATEOFARTICLE / l NEWSPAPER DMN
' AREA BRIEFS
FORT WORTH
' Acme Brick receives
environmental award
' Acme Brick of Fort Worth.has
received the Environmental
Stewardship Award from the
Brick Industry Association for its
Perla Plant Recycling Initiative.
The project has resulted in a 93
percent reduction in waste by re
cycling unfired brick into a new
' product that now accounts for 10
percent of the plant's sales.
it
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C OMMUNITY CALENDAR
Monday-
EULESS—Euless Master
Works Concert Series:Mexican
Folklorico,7-8 p.m.,Euless Public
Library,201 N.Ector Drive.
www.artsnetc.org.
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' EULESS
Two council battles
head toward runoff
By JESSICA DeLE6N remained on the ballot, re-
jdeleon@star-telegram.com Ce1Ved 6 percent. `
' EULESS — Councilwoman Place 6: Bynum won 45.5
Linda Martin easily won re-
percent of the vote to 35.4 per- �}
election,but two other council cent for Massey and 19.1 per-
races are headed for a lune 16 cent for Warren Wilson, an
runoff be- equine chiro-
:Ev,,,
cause no can-
p ractor.
didate won a1 Place 3:
majority of Martin won Place 1 candidate Tim Stinneford at City Hall on Saturday night.Stinne-
the votes. 80.9 percent ford ran nine votes short of winning a City Council seat outright; he
Incum- to 19.1 per faces a June 16 runoff. SPECIAL TO THE STAR-TELEGRAM/BRANDON WADE
bent Carl
Ty- cent for retic- -
' Tyson son,who vot- Martin ee George
ed against Moore. benefits. June 16."
employee benefits last year as Stinneford The winner of the Place 6
a way to cut taxes, will face What was at stake was nine runoff will serve a two-year un-
shopping center manager Tim Stinneford and Bynum said ti' votes short of expired term.
Stinneford in a.runoff. they ran for office because of winning the "There's a runoff, so the
Perry Bynum,a Haltom City last year's controversy in which election out= work continues on," Bynum
firefighter, will face former three council members voted Bynum right. said.
' Councilwoman Veva Lou Mas- against employee benefits. "I feel very Massey served on the coup-
sey. The council later unanimously good, and I cil from 2000 to 2006 before
approved healthcare and re- appreciate all health issues sidelined her.
How the vote went tirement benefits after an out- the support "Well, 'we fought a good
' Place 1: Stinneford had 49.4 cry by city employees and their - everyone's fight,"she said."We've got an
percent of the vote,followed by supporters. given me," _ other one ahead of us."
Tyson, a certified public ac- Tyson was the only council Stinneford About 6.5 percent of the ci-
countant, with 44,6 percent. member who voted against Massey said. "I feel ty's 25,563 registered voters
Steve Symonds, who dropped the benefits to face re-election strongly we'll participated in the election.
out of the race but whose name this year. Martin voted for the be able to turn out the vote on
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ELECTIONS I NORTHEAST TARRANT COUNTY
Not really close
In the heat of the campaign,it may have looked as if
loyalties in'Northeast Tarrant County were divided.
But the results show something quite different.
Now that the dust has settled from Saturday's Northeast
Tarrant County elections,it's evident that what looked like
contentious races in many cases weren't really that close at
all—at least not to voters.
In elections, a real contest is when the winning candi-
date comes outwith 50.1 percent of the vote.Sixty percent is
more like a landslide, and that's what happened in many.
Northeast races this time around.
Keller was the biggest battleground during the campaign
season,both for school board races and City Hall contests.
One school board seat remains to be decided in a runoff.
But even that won't change the outcome in terms of what
much of the pre-election shouting was all about:the future
of Superintendent James Veitenheimer.
What had been a 4-3 board in favor of getting rid of Vei-
tenheimer now has at least four Veitenheimer supporters.
After the rune 16 runoff,there may very well be five.
And look at the margins of victory for those who won r>ti
board seats: Jason Wylie took 61.1 percent of the vote
against two opponents.Cindy Lotton got 65.7 percent of the
votes in her race,and Lara Lee Hogg took 68.6 percent.
In the Place 2 race,Kevin Stevenson took 49.4 percent of
the vote and narrowly missed winning outright.Incumbent
Randy Pugh had just 23.8 percent, and he can hardly be
happy going into the runoff. .
In Keller's municipal races,Pat McGrail got 59.6 percent Ila
of the vote in his race against four-year incumbent Mayor
Julie Tandy.Ray Brown won a City Council seat in his race
against incumbent Steve Trine, taking 60 percent of the
vote.Clearly,Keller voters want a new direction at City Hall.
In Haltom City,a slate of challengers failed miserably in
their effort to unseat the mayor and three City Council
members. Mayor Bill Lanford (79 percent of the vote) and
incumbent council members Jim Sutton (64.1 percent),
Christopher J.Holcomb(51.7 percent)and Diane Bransom
(61.9 percent)won easily.
Perhaps the closest contests were in Euless,where there too
will be two runoffs for City Council seats.
For the most part; Northeast Tarrant voters were of a
clear mind.In the heat of the campaign,it may have looked
as if their loyalties were divided, but the election results
show something quite different.
ri
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OPERTY VALUES
ant t., appraisals"
art east air
Pn the else
Property values are up The increase in proper>iy; Westworth Village saw the'
across the county,thanks to values could mean highef titx .biggest growth—68.4 percent
' ,new construction and payments for someresidentsif, —largely because of the open-
llinderkround gas reserves. their home values increased. ing of a Wal-Mart and Sam's
Y= But for local governments, Club last year and a housing
ANNA M,TINSLEY°'
and JOHN KIRSCH Top pinirS development. Pelican Bay in
,
Insley@star-telegram.com; HeraretheTop10gainersin northwest Tarrant County saw
' C sitar-telegrarrxom tietta�ca>ale valuesthis year. the smallest growth,at 1.6 per-
Under round Percem in cent.Fort Worth property val-
g gas reserves and � ues increased 10.1 percent,in-
net
new construction fueled 'an ' '"ev cludin a
8.5 percent increase in Tarrant Taxing entity taxablevalue g $228 million in-
P crease in mineral values.
eounty property values,help- 1.westworth Village 68.4 Richland Hills'property tax
ing boost this year's tax rolls by 2.Haslet 1$z base rose 2.6 percent, the
' $9 billion,from last-,.
year, ac- 3.Azle ISD 16.3 smallest increase in Northeast
cording toy prelirm"nary num- 4.Lake Worth ISD; 16.1 1 Tarrant County for the second
bers released Tuesday lid+'the 5.Everman ISD 14.6 consecutive year. But Mayor
arrant Appraisal District. 46.Crowley,. 14.3 Dave Ragan said the city of
Propertyvalues in Haslet, 7.Eagle Mountain- 8,200 is poised for growth. A
$outhlake and the Carroll Saginaw ISD 13.7 developer is proposing to
School district helped lead the g 5outhiake 13.a
build two hotels on Northeast
9.Carroll ISD 13.1 Loop 820, which, Ragan said,
'-,tIn Haslet, miner
alrights 10Mansfield lSD. 12.9 could pump $200,000 in new
cent
helped fuel -an 18.2 per
--- -- source fartencAppra3saastrwx tax money into the city's cof-
- ® What do - `STAR-TELEGRAM fers.
you think?
® To post a comment ANNA TINSLEY,817-390-7610
higher values mean more
about this report, go t0moneJOHN KIRSCH,817.6"S-3805
' wwwstar-telegram.com y in the hopper to pro-
vide services and a chance to
hold the line on property tax For more information
`increase in the city's tax base,-. rates:" Questions about apprais-
the largest rIcrease among 171 "We hadanother good als:817-284-3925.
cities and school districts,iia �+ John Marshall, Questions about exemp-
Northeast Tarrant County aril yE`tr' said . tions:817-284-4063.
chief appraiser for the Tarrant
the second largest increase iti. Appraisal District. onilne:www.tad.org
Tarrant 'County after,' West- property values county- Mineral rights
worth Village.Haslet City$ec- wide rose to $115 billion, in- g
retary Diane Rasor said the ci $485 ■Mineral rights played a big factor in this year's preliminary esti-
ty of 1,500 has an estimated 50 eluding a miner million No mates,with mineral values up nearly 35 percent over last year,to
gas wells.The value of Haslet's crease in mineral values. No $1.8 billion,TAD records show.
mineral rights rose 26 percept. Tarrant County community ■The amounts are based on estimates of gas reserves that remain
Southlake's tax base grew. saw a drop in taxable values i underground once a well is drilled.That estimate is multiplied by last
13.4 percent; New businesses'. this year. year's average gas price to get the mineral values.If a well is not
'in and around the Southldke" drilled,mineral rights are not taxed,Marshall said.
Town Square shopping and if- ■Some taxing entities saw increases of.several hundred percent,
fice development drove the')n- including the Birdville school district at 30 percent and Kennedale
'crease, city Finance Director schools at 455 percent.The Fort Worth school district saw a 261
Sharen Jackson said,"Most:bf percent increase.
,the Carroll school district is in ■The Mansfield school district and the cities of Keller and Saginaw
Southlake. saw their mineral values drop from last year.
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Average home values ■The numbers are prelimi '
■The average home value nary and could fall,depend- Preliminary Tarrant County property values
in Tarrant County is now ing on protests.Certified
$142,647,up from$136,683 numbers,which mean that Taxing *Previous Cumene Percent ,
authority net taxable net taxable gain
last year."The economy is : less than 5 percent of the
still strong here,"Marshalltotal value is still under Arlington $16.9 billion $17.7 billion 5.3
said. protest by property owners, Arlington ISD $19.4billion $20.4billion 5.2
■In Fort Worth,the average are set to be released July Azle $567 million $626 million 10.5 '
home value is$114,603,up 25. -Azle ISD $1.7 billion $2 billion 16.3
from $108,631 last year. Bedford $2.9 billion $3 billion 3.8
Arlington's average value is To protest Benbrook $1.2 billion $1.3 billion 6.4
$135,703,up from$132,563', To protest a valuation,prop-- Birdville ISD $6.8 billion $7.2 billion 5.5
last year,and Southlake's 1 erty owners may file a com- Blue Mound $72.9 million $74.8 million 2,7
value is$448,718,up from plaint with the Tarrant Ap- Carroll ISD $4.4 billion $5 billion 13.1
$418,967,TAD records praisal Review Board.A Castleberry ISD $461 million $497 million 7.8
show. form,printed on the back of Colleyville $3.1 billion $3.4 billion 10.4
appraisal notices mailed out Crowley $550million $628 million 14,3
What it means this month,is available but Crowley ISD $4 billion $4.4 billion 10.0
■The figures are based on not required. Dalworthington Gardens $274million $293 million 7.2
the value of land,buildings, Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD $5 billion $5.7 billion 13.7
business inventories and A protest must Edgecliff Village $157 million $174 million 10.7
mineral values as of Jan. 1. ■Be in writing. Euless $2.5 billion $2.6 billion 6.1
The growth is calculated on•, ■Identify the protesting Everman $143 million $150 million 5.2
net taxable value,which property owner. Everman ISD $838 million $960 million 14.6
reflects deductions for ■Identify the property that Forest Hill $368 million $401 million 9.1
homestead exemptions, is the subject of the protest. Fort Worth $34.4 billion $37.9 billion 10.1
abatements and freeport ■Indicate disagreement Fort Worth ISD $22.5 billion $243 billion 7.9
exemptions for businesses. with some determination by Grapevine $5.4 billion $5.8 billion 6.3
the appraisal. Grapevine-ColleyvillelSD $9.3 billion $10billion 7.3
■Be postmarked or deliv- Haltom City $1.5 billion $1.6 billion 4.4
ered to the review board by Haslet $440million $520million 18.2
May 31 or the deadline date Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD $8 billion $8.4billion 5.1
printed on the appraisal Hurst
$2.2 billion $2:3 billion 4.8
notice,whichever is later.
Keller $3.2 billion $3.6 billion 10.9
Where to send Keller ISD $8.5billion $9.6 billion 12.6
protests Kennedale $391 million $435 million 11.2
By mail:Tarrant Appraisal Kennedale ISD $850 million $931 million 9.5
Review Board,P.O. Box Lakeside $86 million $96 million 12.3
185519,Fort Worth TX, Lake Worth $358 million $403 million 12.6
76181-0519.
Lake Worth ISD $637 million $740 million 16.1 In person:The Tarrant Mansfield $3.5 billion $3.8 billion 10.3
Appraisal District is at 2500 Mansfield ISD $7 billion $7.9 billion 12.9
Handley-Ederville Road in North Richland Hills $3.4billion $3.7 billion 6.8
Fort Worth. Pantego $233 million $250 million 7.0
Pelican Bay $25 million $25.4 million 1.6
Richland Hills $422 million $433 million 2.6
River Oaks $218 million $228 million 4.9
Saginaw $1.04 billion $1.07 billion 2.1
Sansom Park $98 million $105 million 7.5
Southlake $4.4 billion $5 billion 13.4
Watauga $1 billion $1.04 billion 3.2
Westover Hills $332 million $353million 6.1
Westworth Village $88 million $148 million 68.4
White Settlement $536 million $561 million 4.6
White Settlement ISD $1.2billion $1.3 billion 10.5
Tarrant County $106 billion $115 billion 8.5
Source-.Tarrant Appraisal District :"September 2006 final tax roll -Mayl5,2007,preliminary tau roll
STAR-TELEGRAM
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, MAYOR
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DATEDISTRIBUTED 5 1 1 �r J C) -7 DATE OFARTICLE /I 1 NEWSPAPER FWST
' TRINITY UPTOWN
District buys
rirst land in
roject's path
'A sweet deal?The Tarrant Lee Nicol, general partner Negotiating the deal "People can see that we are
Regional Water District is of 2000 White Settlement L.P.,' North-side property owners doing our best to reach a fair,
buying its first piece of which owns the property,said have been watching negotia- negotiated price and to keep
Trinity Uptown property. the group is satisfied and ea- tions closely to see whether their businesses in our area,
ger to close the deal. project managers will pay fair said J.D.Granger,executive di-
By MAX B.BAKER rector of the Trinity River Vi-'
mam.coraxbaker@star-tele rri We wish the River Vision prices.
g well and look forward to its Water districtofficials said sionAuthority,which oversees
FORT WORTH— In another fruition,".Nicol said. "Let's get they have tried to make the the project.-
'step toward making Trinity this going; it will be good for Sweet Shop deal as smooth as Fort Worth broker Rodger
Uptown a reality, the Tarrant the city." possible.. Chieifalo, who represented
Regional Water District agreed Nicol's group when it bought
'Tuesday to pay$4.2 million for the property in 2003, said the
the fust piece of land in the
path of the sweeping and con-
troversial downtown river-
front development project.
Owned by an investment _.
group, the 5.3 acres — now ,
home to the Sweet Shop, a
'candy manufacturer is f`�
where the Tnmty. Uptowns
proposed bypass channel will
a swath across the city's
,cut
near north side.
District officials were elat-
ed to,take thein first concrete
steps toward building the$435
million flood-control and re- . TZ C
4
development project. They
� 4
hope to buy about a half-doz-
en otherY
ro erties b the end -- r
P P
of the year, putting the so-
called Trinity River Vision plane r
ahead of schedule.
."Someone was saying that
,h
,if we reduced-the process to an
advertising slogan,it would be
,'We pay cash, and we pay
fast,'" said Steve Christian,
the district's property director.
He said the district started
'talking to the landowners
about a year ago and
about six months negotiating
the deal.
Matt Kelley,,the Sweet Shop's controller,doesn't know when the shop at 2000 White Settlement Road will move.The Tarrant Regional Water
District has agreed to buy the property for$4.2 million. STAR-TELEGRAM/RALPH LAUER
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Moving day $4.2 million is a fair price '
The Sweet Shop is one step based on warehouse property what is Trinity,
closer to moving day. in that section of the city.The Uptown?
Again. property includes three build- it is a flood-control and
The Fort Worth candy ings that cover about 123,000
manufacturing and distribu square feet. 6 development project that
tion:business moved to theChieffalo said that land in would build a river bypass
Pm. .
old Pangburn Candy Co.plant that area shouldn't be dis- channel and a town lake,
counted just because it is in
at 2000 White Settlement creating an 800-acre island Road in September 2000 the path of a public works pro-
for residential and commer-
after the March 2000 torna- cial development on the near
ject,but that the water district
do destroyed its home off shouldnnorth side of Fort Worth.
West
have to pay a premi- north
locks,dams and
West Seventh Street.The u ' for land because ofthe po-
company leases about 70,000 tential value of a town lake and levees,three bridges will be
built.Property owners in the
square feet: other development. p
area have expressed con
Now,the company stands "There are a lot of people
in the way of the Trinity out.there who want to make a cerns about the project,and
Uptown project,which calls lot of money off their build- many are fearful that they
for residential and commer- will not be paid enough for
ings; they have that win the their,land.Project opponents
tial development just north lottery'mentality that just be- .r
of downtown. have described Trinity Up.-
Matt Kelley,the Sweet cause they are there they town as a boondoggle and a
Sho 's t Ilei said Tues- should be paid a fortune to go waste of taxpayers'money.
F away, Chieffalo said.
day that the company has
already looked at several Looking ahead
buildings that are either too Since the project seems to be up and demolition.
old or too big.The business The district expects to
moving so quickly, the water send about $140 million for
has special requirements, district voted Tuesday to land,business relocations,en
among them that the ware- transfer an additional
$4.3 million into the Trinity vironmental cleanu and de-
house be air-conditioned. P
Company officials hope to River Vision Authority's cof- molition. 3
stay near downtown,but fers for the rest of the fiscal
Kelleysaid the ve also con- MAX B.BAKER,817-390-7714
� year to pay for relocating busi-
sidered a building in Euless_ nesses,:environmental clean-
The Trinity River Vision Au
3
thority is responsible for
helping businesses find and
move to new locations.
`They've been helpful,"
Kelley said."We would like a
little more help,but we're not
dissatisfied."
—Max B.Baker 3
3
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DATE DISTRIBUTED l DATE OF ARTICLE / / V -7 NEWSPAPER FWST
AREA BRIEFS
' TWo injured in shooting at Burger King
EULESS—Police were investigating a shooting at a fast-
food restaurant that sent two people to a hospital Tuesday
' night.The conditions of the victims were not available
after the 9 p.m.incident in the parking lot of Burger King
101 W. Euless Blvd.,a dispatcher said.Police did not re-
lease information about suspects MarkAgeeN
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DATE DISTRIBUTED / g l U DATE OF ARTICLE r CD -7 NEWSPAPER DMN
Tarrant
values
The figures released Tuesday soared throughout Tarrant Coun cial development until just,now
:Fort Worth buildingare preliminary and could be low- ty.Of the 50 cities and school dis- really,so the numbers are almost
er after property owners chal- tricts on the appraisal districts misleading,"Mr.Robinson said,
boom drives $9 billion lenge the valuations.The certified list, 22 had double-digit growth
coun�(le increase numbers are typically released.in rates. Those included areas,all He said it's more likely that the
July. along the edges of the county growth rate would be around 20
By JEFF MOSIER Tarrant County property own- from Mansfield to Crowley to pdreent next year. That's a dra-
Staff Writer ers have until May 31 or the date Azle to Haslet to Southlake. I matic drop-off, but that would
jmosier@dadlasnbws.com printed on their appraisal notices Westworth Village,a town of have been enough to still gut his
Tarrant County's property tax to protest their values and re 2,300 adjacent to the former Car- ''City at No.l this year..
base is still posting strong_in- quest a lower market value.- swell Field, posted the largest
creases,' but the growth has The increase in the county's gain, a 68 percent increase.This
slowed slightly from a year ago, mineral values wasn't available. is the town's second consecutive
according to preliminary figures Those appraisals are conducted year to top the Tarrant County
released Tuesday. by an outside firm and have not list.
The taxable value of all proper- been completed. Pelican Bay, an even smaller
ty countywide jumped by more The mineral rights values, town on Eagle Mountain Lake,
than $9 billion — an increase mainly for gas from the Barnett had a growth rate of 1.6 percent,.
greater than the entire value of El- Shale, have nearly doubled in the lowest in Tarrant County.
lis County. But that 81/2 percent each of the last two years..The Gary Robinson, city adminis-
growth rate is lower than last Barnett Shale is one of the na trator for Westworth Village,said
year's 9.2 percent increase and ,tion's largest natural gas fields. the nearly 50 percent increase
about on par with the growth Dal- Fort Worth city officials were last year and 68 percent this year
las County recorded in 2006. not immediately available for are great, but increases of that ,
Fort Worth and its building comment Tuesday. The city hassize will soon stop.He said much
boom around downtown and on seen dramatic growth in busi- of the rise came from a partial val-
tlo outskirts of the city accounted nesses and new homes along In- ue of a Wal-Mart Supercenter
for nearly one-third of the coun- terstate 35W north of downtown. and Sam's Club that were under . f
ty's growth,according to numbers and on the western edge of the construction in 2005 and the full
from the Tarrant Appraisal Dis- city near Loop 820. . value after the stores opened last
trict. Also, condos and lofts in and year. -
Tarrant County budget officer near downtown have been selling Mr.Robinson said those addi-
Debbie Schneider said.the num- quickly as part of the continued tions,as well as other commercial
bers are on pace with her expecta- revitalization of the central city. development and an upscale sub-
tions, although she had not had The increased value in Fort division, have provided most of
time to thoroughly review the Worth's tax base is split evenly be- the boost to Westworth Village's
documents. tween new construction and tax base.And because it's a small
"They are fairly consistent," higher values for existing proper- bedroom community, these few
she said. "The new construction ties.- big projects can,make the growth
has been strong, and that has While Fort Worth continued percentages outrageous.
been a big indicator." its rapid growth,property,values "We've really not had commer-
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,MAYOR
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DATEDISTRIBUTED / ' —7 DATE OFARTICLE S 1 ' 6 ry_� NEWSPAPER DMN
' PROPERTY VALUE: EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
The process:
To determine value,county appraisal districts consider the size of the property, its condition,
location,any income it may produce and comparable sales in the surrounding area.Appraisers
may drive by the property and inspect the exterior,but they don't go inside the structure.They
' spend most of their day in the field taking notes.-1nformation is fed into a computer program and
an appraisal is created.All properties on the tax roll
must be reappraised every three years,although Key times
counties may reassess values more often if the
market changes. Late April Reappraisal notices are mailed.
Mid-May Hearings begin for property,
jZ
owners to protest their
' s appraisals.A preliminary tax roll
' c z y is released to cities and school
—7nM districts for revenue projections.
."• a Appraisal
Values Late July Appeal hearings end,and
tax rolls are certified as final.
Protest "°s " `° October Taxing jurisdictions mail tax bills
form to property owners.
.Tf- Jae.31 Taxes are due.
Feb.1,Taxes become delinquent,and
' ' penaltigs and interest begin
-- accruing.
Suiting up for battle neighborhood.Neighbors can appeal is May 31,or 30 days
' The informal protest provide recent sales info or after you get a new appraisal.
■The first step is to gather sworn statements about their ■Appear in-person or send a
evidence for your case and own property. representative or attorney to
present it to an appraiser,who ■An independent appraisal plead your case.You have the
' will meet with you at appraisal could bolster your case.Show right to review the appraiser's
district offices. it to the county appraiser and records before the hearing.An
■ Get photographs or expert ask her how she arrived at a estimated 50-60 percent.of
statements that document higher value. protested appraisals get
' structural defects—founda- ■Remember, professional reduced,according to county
tion or plumbing problems,for standards govern an appraiser's appraisal chiefs.
example—the appraiser work. It's not personal. Be ■If you appear in person,don't
missed. factual,not emotional. be hostile or antagonistic.
' ■ Get"comps."Contact a The formal protest Judicial appeals
Realtor familiar with your ■If the appraiser rejects your If a formal protest fails,you
neighborhood to get recent case,you,can request a formal have 45 days to file an appeal
sales information about hearing with the Appraisal
in state district court or ask for
' properties"comparable"to Review Board by mailing the binding arbitration.Before
your own.Check the appraisal protest form attached to your taking this step,calculate the
district's Web site for informa- appraisal notice. cost of an appeal vs.potential
tion about values in your 0 The deadline for filing an tax savings.
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MAYOR CITYCNCL CITYATTNY CRIM HENNIG MCKAMIE RIDGWAY(2) BOYETT BROWN
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Central Appraisal Districts in North Texas
Dallas Central Appraisal District Rockwall,TX 75087-4842
2949 N.Stemmons Freeway 972-771-2034
Dallas, TX 75247 Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m.to 5:00 p.m.
214-631-0910 www.rockwallcad.com
Monday through Thursday from
7:30 a.m.to 5:30p.m.' Ellis Central Appraisal District Friday from 7:30 a.m.to 5:00 p.m. 400 Ferris Ave.
p0 Box 878
www.dallascad.org Waxahachie,TX 75165
Collin Central Appraisal District 972-937-3552
250 W. Eldorado Parkway Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m.to 5:00 p.m.
McKinney,TX 75069 www.elliscad.org
469-742-9200
Monday-through Friday 8:00 a.m.to 5:00Kaufman County Appraisal District
p'm 3950 S. Houston St.
www.collincad.org PO Box 819
Denton Central Appraisal District Kaufman,TX 75142
3911 Morse St. 972-932-6081
Denton,TX 76208 Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m.to 5:00 p.m.
940-349-3800 www.kaufman-cad.org '
Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m.to 5:00 p.m.
Educational Web Sites
www.dentoncad.com
Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University
Tarrant Central Appraisal District
http://recenter.tamu.edu/
2500 Handley Ederville Road
Fort Worth,TX 76118 Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
817-284-0024 www.window.state.tx,us/taxinfo/proptax/protes
Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m.to 5:00 p.m. ts.htmi
www.tad.org
Rockwall County Appraisal District zillow.com
841 Justin Road An online real estate service
TARRANT APPRAISALS
Here are the preliminary net taxable values in Tarrant County and selected cities and school districts
released Tuesday.Figures are rounded.
2007 preliminary 2006 certified
Taxing entity taxable value taxable value %change
Arlington $17,745,683,888 $16,858,560,745 5.3%
Arlington ISD $20,386,637,758 $19,375,421,558 5.2%
Grapevine $5,790,890,577 $5,447,685,442 6.3%
Colleyville $3,409,277,451 $3,087,318,586 10.4%
Grapevine-Colleyvilie ISD $9,923,714,246 $9,252,060,394 7.3%
Haltom City $1,608,617,055 $1,541,434,577 4.4%
North Richland Hills $3,664,361,907 $3,431,384,082 6.8%
Birdville ISD $7,170,296,633 $6,797,733,856 5.5%
Hurst , $2,318,562,413 $2,213,229,123 4.8%
Euless $2,611,095,099 $2,460,995,326 6.1%
Bedford $3,008,701,396 $2,897,772,028 3.8°%
H-E-B ISD $8,407,161,357 $7,998,981,857 5.1%
Fort Worth
''` ' - $37,866,939,880 $34,387,189,568 10.1%
Fort Worth ISD $24,238,925,522 $22,475,131,171 7.8%
Kennedale $434,782,941 $391,172,291 11,1%
Kennedale ISD $931,131,677 $850,120,108' 9.5%
3,560,281,405Keller $3,209,103,925 10.9/$
Keller ISD $9,571,752,951 $8,500,970,461 12.6% i3~`
Mansfield $3,836,050,193 $3,478,296,308 10.3% 4 0:11
Mansfield ISD $7,897,158,637 $6,994,245,795 12.9%
Southlake $4,953,336,647 $4,369,709,992 13.4%
Carroll ISD $4,956,738,849 $4,383,723,482 13.1%
Tarrant County $115,004,519,116 $105,952,512,544 8.5%
SOURCE:Tarrant Appraisal District