Despite the struggling economy, property values in Lewisville, Flower Mound and other southern Denton County cities have increased, according to updated preliminary appraisal figures released by the Denton Central Appraisal District show.

Although the numbers are expected to drop when tax rolls are certified in July, Denton County property values are up 3.7 percent – a figure that reflects a slowdown in growth throughout the county.

“It wasn’t unusual to have double-digit changes a few years ago,” said Rudy Durham, deputy chief appraiser. “They’re not climbing anywhere like they have over the last few years.”

Durham remembers when more than 10,000 permits were being issued each year to build new houses. Now, he said, those numbers have fallen to about 3,000 per year.

Appraisal district officials are telling taxing entities throughout the county to expect valuations to be down slightly or to have little change. Oil and gas appraisals aren’t included in the preliminary numbers. However, they will be figured into the certified tax rolls released in July.

But that doesn’t hold true for all municipalities and school districts. In fact, Denton County’s updated preliminary appraisal figures show wide variations.

The town of Hebron, for example, is showing a whopping 773.4 percent jump in appraised property values – from $3.9 million in 2008 to $35 million this year. The town of Westlake is showing more than 500 percent increase – from $1.6 million last year to $9.6 million this year, preliminary figures show.

At the other extreme is the Krum Independent School District that is facing a 49 percent decrease in appraised valuations. The town of Ponder is looking at a 39 percent drop in property values, according to preliminary estimates.

But most taxing entities are not facing such drastic fluctuations.

The city of Lewisville is looking at a 12.7 percent increase in property values – from $6.8 billion in 2008 to $7.6 billion for this year.

The preliminary increase was good news for Lewisville officials who are preparing for their annual budget review.

“We didn’t know what to expect with the economic news,” said Brenda Martin, Lewisville’s finance director. “We’re very happy to be seeing that it’s flat or a little bit of an increase.”

As an older community, growth has leveled off in Lewisville. “There have been some increases in property values but Lewisville is a stable community,” Martin said. “Our growth has been pretty steady. That may be why we’re not seeing a drastic increase.”

The town of Flower Mound, which manages its growth with strict oversight, is looking at a 6.3 percent increase in property values. Preliminary values have been estimated at $7.2 billion – up from $6.7 billion from last year’s adjusted totals set by the appraisal district.

Little Elm’s valuations grew 5.2 percent, comparable to the 5.4 percent increase in Highland Village. The Colony is showing a 9.7 percent jump in property values.

A preliminary appraisal of $25.6 billion represents a 9.8 percent increase for the Lewisville school district.

With grim news about the real estate market, appraisal officials are gearing up for an uptick in property owners protesting their appraisals.

Durham said homeowners should realize that appraisals are based on real estate values in their immediate vicinity – usually a neighborhood or within a subdivision.

“It’s not what’s happening across town, or in Florida or California or Nevada. It’s what’s happening here,” he said. “When we mailed out the notices last week, 40 percent went up, 40 percent went down, and the balance stayed the same.”

To help avoid long waits for people who want to talk to an appraiser, the district has instituted a new call-ahead phone number (940-349-3850). It allows people to get their name on a list for an appointment.