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Went for my annual property tax protest today to HCAD at 13013 Northwest Freeway. Big as could be posted on the inside set of the double glass entry doors was a 30:06 sign that included a small ghost buster sign as well.

I asked the uniformed and armed HCAD security officer if the sign had any legal meaning for someone with a valid CHL. I explained current law to him concerning buildings owned or leased by a government agency. He stated that he thought that I was correct but "Management" told him to leave the sign in place.

Assuming "HCAD" is a city/county/state owned or leased building, I think you are correct too. Mr. Cotton is collecting examples of these in the following thread, so perhaps you should post this there also, so he has a single list to work with.

http://www.texasshooting.com/TexasCHL_F ... .php?t=188

elb

Good idea.

Old and dusty thread but I was there this week. They still had a 30.06 sign. I didn't notice the ghost buster sign.

Is it a government meeting? Or just an office location?

sjfcontrol wrote:Is it a government meeting? Or just an office location?

A government meeting that's been going on for two years....?

The posts about a government meeting going over two years made me think and realize something. This does happen in Harris County. They have a weird exemption in the Tax Code.

By law, each county must allow for protests of property tax matters. They go to the Appraisal Review Board (ARB) Most of the time, the ARB meets in the CAD offices. By law, the ARB is a governmental meeting, subject to the Open Meetings Act. In 253 counties, the ARB meets beginning in May and ends in either July or August. The 253 counties do not include Harris County. Because of the sheer size of the county, they have an ARB that meets year round. It is quite probable that the ARB is meeting in that building on any given day. By law, the ARB must meet at some points on weekends or evenings also.

I know there is a gray area on whether or not that means the whole building or the room used for the meeting (portion of a building). Since I am not convinced it is automatically restricted to just the portion used by the meeting, I would advise anyone to be very careful carrying in the Harris CAD building. Verify where the ARB is meeting that day. And yes, it can be meeting in more than one place. They have almost 200 people on their ARB and it only takes a panel of 3 to hold the hearing.

srothstein wrote:The posts about a government meeting going over two years made me think and realize something. This does happen in Harris County. They have a weird exemption in the Tax Code.

By law, each county must allow for protests of property tax matters. They go to the Appraisal Review Board (ARB) Most of the time, the ARB meets in the CAD offices. By law, the ARB is a governmental meeting, subject to the Open Meetings Act. In 253 counties, the ARB meets beginning in May and ends in either July or August. The 253 counties do not include Harris County. Because of the sheer size of the county, they have an ARB that meets year round. It is quite probable that the ARB is meeting in that building on any given day. By law, the ARB must meet at some points on weekends or evenings also.

I know there is a gray area on whether or not that means the whole building or the room used for the meeting (portion of a building). Since I am not convinced it is automatically restricted to just the portion used by the meeting, I would advise anyone to be very careful carrying in the Harris CAD building. Verify where the ARB is meeting that day. And yes, it can be meeting in more than one place. They have almost 200 people on their ARB and it only takes a panel of 3 to hold the hearing.

(c) A license holder commits an offense if the license holder intentionally,
knowingly, or recklessly carries a handgun under the authority of Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code, regardless of
whether the handgun is concealed, at any meeting of a governmental
entity.

I'm going to venture that "at"....doesn't mean "in the same building as". To me it seems more like it was intended to prevent you from attending the meeting armed.

Also, HCAD is taking away from their case by posting it permanently...unless they're suggesting that the ARB has been meeting continuously 24/7 for the last two years. How do I know if they're meeting if it's always posted? It's going to make the "intentionally, recklessly, or knowingly", a lot harder stretch.

Then again we all know that:

- A zoo is a school.
- An ISD is not a government entity.
- A city owned airport may post 30.05 and have it effective on CHL.
- You may not carry under MPA in Harris County.

So you may take the proverbial "ride".

srothstein wrote:I know there is a gray area on whether or not that means the whole building or the room used for the meeting (portion of a building). Since I am not convinced it is automatically restricted to just the portion used by the meeting, I would advise anyone to be very careful carrying in the Harris CAD building. Verify where the ARB is meeting that day. And yes, it can be meeting in more than one place. They have almost 200 people on their ARB and it only takes a panel of 3 to hold the hearing.

If someone is there to protest their appraisal at a ARB hearing, I think that counts as a government meeting. If they're just in the building to drop off a check, or paperwork, that falls in the gray area depending what rooms they enter. IMHO/IANAL

Old thread, but I'm posting in it because I'm hear now to file for homestead.
The sign is giant and "in your face."

There should be some civil recourse vs. the government for improperly posted, invalid signs.

Scott in Houston wrote:Old thread, but I'm posting in it because I'm hear now to file for homestead.
The sign is giant and "in your face."

Glad old threads are here for reference.

Stopped at HCAD this afternoon for some information. Saw the 30.06 sign, thought "Harumph, government building, ignore" and walked right past it.

Read srothstein's comment above about it qualifying as government meeting. I will not carry when I return for the board hearing.

I read some where that one in twenty four people in Texas have a CHL.

I bet a good chunk of us would be willing to auto debit $1 per month to file class action law suits against illegal sign posters.

This would send a strong and clear message to the government about the 2nd Amendment.

Moby wrote:I read some where that one in twenty four people in Texas have a CHL.

I bet a good chunk of us would be willing to auto debit $1 per month to file class action law suits against illegal sign posters.

This would send a strong and clear message to the government about the 2nd Amendment.

There are no illegal sign posters because it isn't illegal to post an unenforceable sign. On what grounds would you sue?

3dfxMM wrote:

Moby wrote:I read some where that one in twenty four people in Texas have a CHL.

I bet a good chunk of us would be willing to auto debit $1 per month to file class action law suits against illegal sign posters.

This would send a strong and clear message to the government about the 2nd Amendment.

There are no illegal sign posters because it isn't illegal to post an unenforceable sign. On what grounds would you sue?

This is correct. It is not illegal for htem to post a non-enforceable sign. Legislation that was introduced this year to put penalties against it never made it to the floor.

As for 1 in 24, it is about 1 in 50. There are 26.5M population in Texas and a little over 500,000 CHL's.

Collin county tax offices are posted as well.