INCREASING VALUES
CONTINUED FROM 1
Property tax collected is used to support city departments, road maintenance and other services.
Home values have increased an average of 42% since 2019.
Appraisal district board members are elected by tax- ing entities, such as cities and school districts. Keller City Council was one of eight tax- ing entities that voted to install Wilemon as chair for the fiscal year 2022-23 term. Other enti- ties included Tarrant County and Tarrant County College. Entities can vote to begin a recall process of a board member, but only if they ini- tially voted for the member. “In Keller, we’re unapol- ogetic about protecting our taxpayers,” Mizani said in the Feb. 21 meeting. “Not only did we pledge to reduce the tax burden, but also we made a pledge to increase account- ability and transparency.” Objectives set In the midst of the district’s changes, the board decided in an April 10 meeting that Law would be given 90 days to address the transparency and communication problems circulating around the board with 11 specific issues writ- ten out in a Letter of Repair. The letter highlighted the district’s 100% audit score from the Texas State Comp- troller but described numer- ous incidents that “adversely affected the credibility” and “loss of confidence” of the district. The letter addressed to Law was shared by the Tar- rant Appraisal District staff. The first of the 11 items listed is for Law to implement a plan to repair the credi- bility and reputation of the Tarrant Appraisal District.
March 2019 March 2021
March 2023
2020
2021
2022
$439,950
+36%
$570,000
Keller
$598,100
$370,100
+45%
$469,500
Roanoke
$535,000
+1.3%
+15.7%
+10%
$233,000
Forth Worth
+44%
$281,000
Keller SOURCES: CITIES OF KELLER, ROANOKE AND FORT WORTH/COMMUNITY IMPACT Roanoke Fort Worth
$336,503
SOURCE: COLLIN COUNTY ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS/COMMUNITY IMPACT
TERMS TO KNOW
this letter of repair,” Board secretary Rich DeOtte said during the April 10 meeting. “I think it communicates the seriousness the board feels about what happened the last year and a half, and certainly the last nine months, should have never happened. There are certain things that need to be fixed, and not address- ing them is not acceptable.” When speaking about recalling Wilemon, Mizani cited a few issues the board had not handled well recently, This is determined by the relevant taxing entities, including local government, school districts, hospital districts, county colleges and municipal utility districts. Assessed value This is the value that is taxed at the set tax rate. Property tax rate
Appraisal district The appraisal district
such as a surge in appraisal protests and a controversy involving a complaint filed against Crouch, who helped taxpayers protest their prop- erty values. Filed by the board’s Director of Residen- tial Appraisals Randy Arm- strong, Crouch was accused of the “misrepresentation of facts and abuse of his dual positions as both a property tax consultant and licensed Texas Realtor,” accord- ing to the filed complaint. The letter of repair stated those complaints were filed using resources belonging to the Tarrant Appraisal District. In August, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation’s investigation found no evidence of Crouch committing a violation. Arm- strong and Law were sus- pended by the board for two weeks without pay in August
for their handling of the dis- pute. The “failure of man- agement” was listed in the letter to Law, who said he was unaware of the complaints. “When we hear stories of a former TAD employee harassing female employ- ees; when we hear sto- ries of a high-ranking TAD employee targeting the livelihood and professional license of someone solely on the basis that they were assisting others with their protests, that creates seri- ous distrust,” Mizani said. Taking the next steps When Keller City Council began the recall process, Wile- mon issued her resignation from the Tarrant Appraisal District board. Initially the board accepted that resig- nation, but rescinded that acceptance during a March
determines the value of a property to be taxed by the different taxing entities. Market value This is the probable price a property would fairly sell for in an open market.
Others
noted
improving
communication; revising the conflict of interest pol- icy; responding to citizens, media and stakeholders’ inquiries in a timely manner; and advising local legislative members of potential con- flicts in replacing a chair. Failure to resolve the issues could result in fur- ther corrective action, up to and including dismissal, according to the letter. “This board is interested in doing the right thing here with
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