Wylie Burge

P. Wylie Burge
1. Why are you running for the Board? I have never been a fan of politics. I am an engineer and physician by training and logic/evidence based practical solutions are how I try and view most things. As far as the "why" behind running, I like most homeowners in Texas are becoming more and more concerned about fiscal irresponsibility that I am seeing in our local, state and federal government. When it comes to property taxes in Texas in particular, the influx of out of state residents and inflation of property values are as a result causing an exponential increase in property taxes. Homeowners are essentially being taxed on unrealized gains and I feel this is patently wrong.
2. What do you hope to accomplish as a member of the Assessment Board? I hope to bring a measure of control to how property appraisals are being assessed and hopefully lower property taxes in Dallas County to help protect homeowners against appraisal boards which may be using methods to artificially increase property taxes for homeowners. Additionally I think these positions can create competition between appraisers in general. I would hope to better evaluate the relationship between the county and the hired appraisers to ensure there are no conflicts of interests between the appraisers and who is hiring them and this may create a more honest appraisal assessment. There are many accounts popping up in Texas in particular where central appraisal districts are using rather unsavory methods to increase appraisal values to boost tax revenue. The county should make decisions based on their budget, I think many homeowners are becoming increasingly frustrated about the tax burden placed on homeowners in the state as well as the fact our state has a record surplus from taxes collected and seemingly no representation advocating for more fiscally responsible behavior from our elected officials. In lieu of necessary legislative changes to our tax codes, these positions hopefully will provide some civilian representation to keep local governments in check.
3. What skills, aptitudes, or attitudes do you bring to this position? Growing up in Houston, my father actually kept his first house as an investment property. I grew up helping him refurbish investment properties and through that process, learned the importance of paying attention to yearly appraisals and how the county would try to inflate property values to increase tax revenue. My hope is to bring a better understanding to how the appraisers are making their valuations and provide a level of control to protect homeowners in the county from overzealous appraisals and hopefully bring a fair and balanced approach to lower property taxes in general.
Thank you for the opportunity to express my positions, I hope voters find this helpful.