Members of the Northside School Board of Trustees say they’re seeking equality in taxation. They’ve passed a resolution requesting the 80th Texas Legislature to impose ad valorem taxes in a more equitable manner.

“People who can least afford to pay are the ones who are paying it,” Trustee Katie N. Reed said during a recent board meeting.

The trustees are asking the Legislature to adopt laws requiring the mandatory disclosure of real property sales prices to county appraisal districts “to ensure that all taxable property in the state is appraised at market value as required by Texas Tax Code and that ad valorem taxes are imposed equally and uniformly as required by the Texas Constitution.”

“The burden won’t be on medium-priced homes anymore,” Reed said after the resolution was passed by the board. “This is the first step in the process.”

The Bexar County Appraisal District’s Chief Appraiser Michael Amezquita provided the board with the resolution.

“If the Texas Legislature does heed the board’s request for mandatory disclosure of real property sales prices to appraisal districts, that would spell equality to all,” said George Torres, NISD deputy superintendent of business and financial services.

Bexar County and the city of San Antonio have already approved resolutions in support of mandatory sales disclosures.

Currently, sales prices aren’t required to be disclosed in Texas.

“The lack of sales price information reported to county appraisal districts has resulted in undervaluation of property, particularly commercial and multi-family property. The undervaluation of commercial and multi-family property creates a greater burden of taxation on residential property owners,” the resolution reads. “Local units of government have lost billions in potential revenue to provide necessary services to the public as a result of this undervaluation.”

Texas is one of only five states that doesn’t require property sales price information to be disclosed.