Property tax foreclosure auctions are older than the Republic of Texas. The battle for Texas independence began in part because the government of Mexico eliminated property tax exemptions for new settlers in 1830.1 For 200 or more years, on every first Tuesday of each month, property foreclosure auctions have been held outside on the steps of county courthouses, whether it was raining, snowing, or 110 degrees.
While my job as tax collector is to collect 100 percent of property taxes owed to fund local services, we have adopted a “compassionate collections” strategy. Properties are posted for foreclosure auctions only as a last resort. Our property tax team does everything possible to help property owners avoid having their properties auctioned off. We check to make sure appropriate exemptions are applied, seek out programs that could financially assist property owners with their property taxes, and work to set up realistic payment plans. Only after months or even years of attempting to work with property owners would we take the next step to seek judgments to collect owed property taxes.