Tarrant County commissioners unanimously requested Tarrant鈥檚 chief appraiser Jeff Law be removed after a vote of no confidence following renewed calls for a new head of agency.
Commissioners delivered a message to the : implement change in the way the agency is managed. Taxpayers deserve transparency, outstanding customer service, stability and consistency when it comes to the appraisal district, County Judge Tim O鈥橦are said.
鈥淭his is not condemning the good men and women that work at the Tarrant Appraisal District, of whom there are many,鈥� O鈥橦are said. 鈥淭he buck has to stop at the top. The chief appraiser has been the common denominator throughout all of these issues and episodes, and it鈥檚 time to hold him accountable.鈥�
The vote is mostly symbolic, meaning it has no bearing on whether Law will remain chief appraiser. That decision falls to the TAD board of directors. According to the appraisal district, the board can choose to take this matter up at a future meeting.
The next board meeting is set for Nov. 10.
Commissioners pointed to years of issues plaguing the agency, resulting in a loss of faith in the chief appraiser and the agency鈥檚 ability to serve taxpayers.
Commissioner Roy Brooks lost confidence in Law years ago and called this vote 鈥渁 historic act.鈥�
鈥淚t has to do with (Law鈥檚) mismanagement of that agency,鈥� Brooks said. 鈥淗e provides a profound lack of leadership to that organization, and it does not get better year over year.鈥�
TAD said it does not comment on news outside of the organization.
On Aug. 24, the mayors of Colleyville, Keller and Southlake issued a urging the TAD board of directors to appoint a new chief appraiser after another scandal put the agency back in the spotlight.
The mayors of all three cities wrote in their letter that they 鈥渞efuse to sit complacent while the Tarrant Appraisal District tried to justify yet another scandal.鈥�
The letter was issued after a revealed TAD鈥檚 IT director, Cal Wood, suggested 鈥渃reating a false narrative that distances the truth from the media.鈥� Following an internal investigation, Wood was .
Tensions between taxpayers and TAD escalated in June 2022 when Randy Armstrong, a director at the appraisal district, was investigated for to file a complaint against tax consultant Chandler Crouch.
A board meeting responding to that investigation raised questions about when doors were locked for most of the meeting, leaving speakers out in the Texas summer heat.
As a result of these two incidents, Law and Armstrong were .
In March 2023, TAD made headlines again after some municipalities asked for a recall of the board鈥檚 chair, Kathryn Wilemon. Wilemon instead resigned, prompting on how the incident should have been handled.
Wilemon was after the city of the appraisal district. Law鈥檚 position was again put to the test but he .
This vote is the culmination of over a year of incidents, Commissioner Alisa Simmons said, and it鈥檚 time for new leadership.
鈥淚t is clear that the chief appraiser鈥檚 approach to leadership is out of touch with the needs and concerns of our community,鈥� Simmons said. 鈥淚t is crucial for us to voice our dissatisfaction and demand better leadership.鈥�
