After 15 months of working on property tax reform with a group of more than 60 people, state Rep. Hugh Shine has filed six bills. The Temple Republican filed the pieces of legislation late last week. The bills focus on reforming property taxes and make the process more transparent. The Legislature convenes Jan. 8.

Local governments have not been properly notifying homeowners of their expected property tax increases since 1978, disregarding a requirement of the Texas Constitution, an academic researcher told lawmakers on Wednesday.

“One of the major trends that we’re seeing is the dramatic increase in property values,” said John Kennedy a senior analyst at Texas Taxpayers and Research Association.