NATIONAL

How Property Tax Foreclosure Accelerates Gentrification and Magnifies the Racial Wealth Gap
Yale Insights
In May, the Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling in Tyler v. Hennepin County. The case centered on tax deed foreclosure, a practice that allows local governments to sell tax-delinquent properties at auction. The court found that Hennepin County, Minnesota, had violated the rights of 94-year-old Geraldine Tyler when it sold her $40,000 condo over $15,000 in back taxes—and pocketed the $25,000 difference.

NEW YORK

N.Y. county passes 10% property tax break for volunteer fire, EMS members
Fire Rescue 1
Niagara is the latest county to provide property tax breaks as a way of attracting volunteer firefighters and emergency service workers. The county legislature approved a new law allowing a 10% property tax exemption on property owned by a member of a volunteer fire company, fire department or voluntary ambulance service, or spouse of a member, at its May session.

Former Saratoga city assessor alleges her firing was retaliatory
Times Union 
The city's assistant assessor, who was dismissed by the Commissioner of Accounts Dillon Moran, has filed a notice of claim against the city in which her attorney alleges that her firing was retaliatory because she wouldn't “engage in unlawful conduct.” In the notice of claim, Carrie Schermerhorn's attorney Kelly Magnuson said that her client was fired “for reporting violations of law including retaining a firm with ethical conflicts” at “greatly inflated rates” and “ordering her to grant tax privileges to his friends.”

TEXAS

Double-Digit Property Value Hikes Hammer DFW Apartment Owners
BisNow
Skyrocketing property values are the latest headache for multifamily owners in North Texas who have spent the last few months fending off hits to their bottom line. Central appraisal districts across the region's four major counties — Dallas, Collin, Denton and Tarrant — are proposing increases of between 30% and 52%.

Abbott doubles down on tax cuts, says homestead exemptions backed by Patrick "evaporate"
KEYE
As the legislative special session approaches its second week, a final deal on property tax cuts seems no closer to fruition, as Governor Greg Abbott doubles down on tax rate compression and offered his sharpest criticism yet of the Dan Patrick-backed homestead exemption increases.

WASHINGTON

Datacenter suing over $2 million in property tax
ncwlife.com
A major datacenter is suing Grant County over its assessed property taxes. Sabey's Intergate Quincy LLC paid its $3.3 million in county taxes under protest over the last two years, saying it was overcharged by nearly $2 million. The company claims the market value of its property was too low to justify the appraisal recorded by the Grant County assessor's office.