TRAVIS COUNTY TAX ASSESSORS/COLLECTORS SUCK

HARD.
Back before we paid off our house,our property tax was figured into our monthly payment,an invisible expense that we were marginally aware of.We'd get a statement every year giving us a breakdown of where our money went and say to ourselves and each other,"You know when we pay this mortgage off,we'll have to save money each month to pay".Which works good in theory,provided you maintain gainful,full time employment and no other crises occur.We were not so lucky,and as a result fell behind in our property taxes.
For the last several months,we have been paying travis county an exhorbitant amount of money when measured to our income and other expenses,strung along with the light at the end of the tunnel being the arrival of our new annual appraisal at which time we could "renegotiate".Today,that light turned out to be a train...and it flattened me.
The "best" that they could do was a 10 month arrangement that increased the already ridiculous monthly payment by close to 100 dollars.
Over the past several months we have received cut notices on our electric service almost every month,we have curtailed our spending dramatically and have been budgeting like it's the fucking depression.I have ignored a dental bill,because I can't afford to pay it.I can't get my hypertension meds refilled because I can't go in for a doctor visit because I can't afford the co-pays I owe because,even though I'm union,my health coverage sucks.
Travis county has painted us into a corner,a very dark corner.If we don't pay,they will seize the house and auction it off for 6800 dollars (or 2 years worth of tax).
Our home,appraised at 150K for this year could be auctioned off for this amount of debt.This,to me,is fucking insane.
I'm not trying to be a crybaby,I accept full responsibility for being a victim of Bunnypants (booming if your already filthy rich) economy.And of being a poor money manager.I am more than willing to pay taxes that I firmly believe are inflated,unfair,and in my opinion criminally high.And I put the blame for that squarely on the shoulders of developers who are trying to turn this city into Dallas or Houston.And the city council,who are more interested in anything but the welfare of it's middle class citizens.
We have been forced to take out a high interest loan to pay...a loan that will no doubt be unpaid when I DIE,for 2 years worth of property tax.That's just insane.
This was my parents home,they left it to me because they knew what was coming down the road and wanted me to have a home...they had no fucking idea.
So we'll trudge on and keep on trying to get by,somehow.But if it comes down to the auction block,trust me...no one will get this house.