‘Buck has to stop at the top.’ Tarrant County votes ‘no confidence’ in appraisal chief

Tarrant County commissioners voted “no confidence” in Tarrant Appraisal District Chief Appraiser Jeff Law during their Tuesday meeting.

The four commissioners present — Judge Tim O’Hare, Roy Charles Brooks, Alissa Simmons and Gary Fickes — approved the vote of no confidence. The commissioners will also send a letter to the board of directors urging it to replace Law.

“We never had the authority to make them do anything, but this will be an historic act that perhaps, if they ignore it, they will ignore it at their own peril,” said Brooks.

The vote comes after the Star-Telegram obtained a recording of a meeting during which TAD’s head of information systems said he supported creating a “false narrative” to media about persistent problems with the agency’s website.

“I’m OK with creating a false narrative that distances the truth from the media,” Cal Wood told coworkers, speaking about a strategy for sharing news of TAD’s tech troubles. “That’s where I’m gonna have to really shut up today.”

Cal Wood was fired Friday, following the Star-Telegram’s Aug. 21 report. In a brief statement, TAD said Wood’s comments do not reflect the agency’s values.

This year at TAD

Tuesday’s vote follows a series of public scandals at the agency, which is responsible for appraising property values for tax purposes in Tarrant County.

Issues with TAD’s website began in October when it was taken down for planned security updates. In March, Wood and Law assured the TAD board and the public that the website would be ready for property tax season.

But when appraisal notices arrived in April, the new TAD.org failed to launch for many visitors. Pages timed out and the automated market review tool used to protest values was not available.

After public outcry, Law extended the protest deadline from May 15 to May 30.

TAD was also the subject of public scrutiny when Keller City Council recalled board chair Kathryn Wilemon in February. Public leaders threatened to sue the agency for its handling of the vacancy.

TAD board issued Law a letter of repair in April. It outlined 11 items to be completed in 90 days, such as developing a plan to repair the agency’s reputation and ensuring that the agency’s computer systems and website comply with statutory requirements.

At the board’s Aug. 11 meeting, former TAD employee Patricia Nolan shared her concerns about the agency’s website issues in a closed session. Nolan also shared these concerns with the Star-Telegram.

“Time after time, people would say, ‘You’re trying to circumvent me from having my hearing,’ which is true. All the things that they didn’t do would circumvent a person from having their due process,” Nolan told the Star-Telegram.

Later in the meeting, the five board members voted 3-2 on a vote of confidence regarding Law’s leadership, as stipulated by the letter of repair.

A legacy of software glitches

This isn’t the first time the Tarrant Appraisal District or Law came under fire for the agency’s technology.

The agency became the subject of intense scrutiny in 2015 when it became clear that a software conversion the year before had caused TAD to severely undervalue the county’s property.

As a result, school districts said they were shorted millions in property tax revenue, causing them to eliminate positions and pause hiring despite growth.

State lawmakers grilled Law about the software issues during a hearing in Arlington in 2016. An audit released in December 2016 found that TAD did not clearly outline requirements for the new software and did not adequately test it.

“We could have done a much better job communicating to our stakeholders. We have actually apologized to them,” Law said at the time.

Public pressure

The Commissioners Court is one of five local governments that demanded a change in leadership at the agency following news of Wood’s comments.

On Aug. 24, the mayors of Southlake, Keller and Colleyville issued a letter calling for Law’s firing. In their letter, the trio of mayors call the latest scandal “outrageous and a breach of the public’s trust.”

The Mansfield City Council on Monday approved a vote of no confidence in Law.

“We want residents to feel that the appraisal process is fair and transparent,” Mayor Michael Evans said in a video recapping the meeting.

The Keller City Council will take a vote of no confidence in Law at its Sept. 5 meeting.

The public’s dissatisfaction with management at TAD has been exacerbated in recent years by surging home values and consequently, skyrocketing property taxes.

This tax year, property values rose 14%. So did the number of protests. In 2021, 16% of residential accounts filed protests. In 2023, 28% of accounts filed protests, according to data from TAD.

Board elections

All five board members — Tony Pompa, JR Martinez, Jungus Jordan, Rich DeOtte and Vince Puente — are up for election this fall.

Appraisal district board members are “elected” by taxing entities, like cities, the county and school districts. Each is given votes based on a calculation that uses the amount of property taxes the entity imposes.

Taxing entities must nominate candidates by Oct. 15 and submit their votes before Dec. 15.