The Texas county has launched iSettle, Harris's county's interactive property tax website to boost the e-Governance initiatives in the county. With the help of iSettle, residents can request for a decrease in property appraisal with the click of a mouse, making attendance in Appraisal Review Board hearings unnecessary.
iSettle is an offshoot of another high tech solution initiated in 2006 by the Harris County Appraisal District. iSettle allows Harris residents and commercial property owners to file online protests on a pilot basis. So far, 350,000 of 1.7 property owners filed an electronic protest with the appraisal district, of which 90,000 were resolved, withdrawn or settled through informal meetings between the property owners and appraisers. The new service is expected to cut into the profit of tax consultants since property owners have the option to perform the task themselves with the help of technology.
