Elected officials have begun calling for new leadership in the Tarrant Appraisal District amid multiple scandals and reports of technical issues from the district’s website within the past few months.
The Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD) website’s software was updated at the beginning of the summer, but these changes resulted in reports of multiple issues encountered by users attempting to file property value protests.
Homeowners in Tarrant County, such as Kirk Popovici, described the site as sluggish.
“It was a painfully slow site, and in this day and age, when we’re paying so much in taxes, it’s kind of ironic that the device we’re using to look it up is so slow and inefficient,” he said in April, per CBS News.
While discussing the technological issues at a meeting in August, Cal Wood, TAD’s director of information systems, was apparently recorded saying that he would support deceiving the public.
“I’m OK with creating a false narrative that distances the truth from the media,” he said in the recording, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Wood doubled down on his statements later in the recording, saying, “The further you create the truth from what’s being reported, the better you are. Because what do we need? Time, patience, and money.”
Following the release of the recording, Chief Appraiser Jeff Law said Wood would be suspended until the completion of a “full investigation of the circumstances,” as reported by the Star-Telegram.
Wood’s suspension prompted Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare to tweet, “There is a serious leadership problem at the Tarrant Appraisal District.
“This suspension is simply not enough. TAD needs a change in leadership to restore the public’s trust, which is currently non-existent. How many scandals does it take?”
Keller Mayor Armin Mizani agreed with O’Hare’s call for change, tweeting on Tuesday, “Taxpayers have lost trust in the Tarrant Appraisal District, and it’s time for the TAD Board to appoint a new Chief Appraiser.”
Mizani’s comment makes reference to a previous matter concerning Law. The chief appraiser just won a 3-2 vote of confidence from the TAD board of directors, allowing him to keep his position after issues including those with the software and website.
The vote was taken following a 90-day probationary period that began in April, in which a “letter of repair” was presented to Law identifying various performance issues for him to address, according to The Texas Scorecard.
The 11-point letter directed Law to establish better communication with the public, repair the district’s reputation, and create a retaliation-free culture within the district, as reported by CBS News.
Although the 3-2 vote in favor of Law allowed him to maintain his spot as chief appraiser, Mizani stated in his tweet that “Keller will consider a resolution and a ‘vote of no confidence’ in Chief Appraiser, Jeff Law” again when the city council meets in September.