TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas -- It's been nearly five months since fire threatened his Oak Hill home and for Paul Robbins, the flames can't be forgotten.
"I moved here for the view and the quiet," said Robbins. "The quiet is still here, but the view is gone."
A look at Robbin's neighborhood shows the other view. Some houses are leveled, others being rebuilt, few left untouched.
"No one could have predicted it and very few people prepared for it," said Robbins.
The recent fires across Travis County has prompted officials to look at a rarely-used state statute. Tuesday morning, Travis County Commissioner's Court unanimously enacted Texas Tax Code 23.02. The statute offers property owners in burned areas a pro-rated property tax.
"I mean if you've lost everything you own, it's not just your home," explained Precinct 3 Commissioner Karen Huber. "It's your documentation, legal documents, everything that has to be put back together, and that takes time, and it takes money."
Once the burned down homes are re-appraised, owners only pay taxes on the damaged value, which is considerably less. This policy is only good through the end of 2011.
With the new year, any remodeling or progress on the home will be taxed accordingly. Officials say they will start reassessing values in the coming weeks.
"It makes me feel like I'm glad they care," said Robbins.
For Robbins and other Oak Hill residents, it is a decision they hope sets an example for other counties struggling to move forward from fire.
