In a rare act of dissent, Tarrant County commissioners have recommended the ouster of Chief Appraiser Jeff Law following allegations of years of mismanagement.
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The vote of no confidence comes on the heels of the firing of Cal Wood, former IT director for Tarrant Appraisal District, who was heard on a leaked recording suggesting TAD lie to the media about website issues that interfered with appraisal protests, according to the Fort Worth Report.
In a letter to TAD’s board of directors, commissioners called for Law to be replaced with someone who would deliver the transparency, outstanding customer service, stability and consistency taxpayers deserve.
“This is not condemning the good men and women that work at the Tarrant Appraisal District, of whom there are many,” County Judge Tim O’Hare said at a Tuesday meeting. “The buck has to stop at the top. The chief appraiser has been the common denominator throughout all of these issues and episodes, and it’s time to hold him accountable.”
TAD is no stranger to scandal. Director Randy Armstrong was accused last summer of abusing his position to file a complaint against tax consultant Chandler Crouch. Armstrong and Law were subsequently suspended after they were found to have violated the Texas Open Meetings Act by locking the public out of a meeting to investigate claims against Armstrong.
In March, TAD Board Chair Kathryn Wilemon resigned after Keller City Council members voted for her recall amid the fallout from the Armstrong-Crouch scandal.
County leadership finally had enough, with Commissioner Alisa Simmons saying at the Tuesday meeting it was time for the community to “demand better leadership.”
Whether to fire Law is up to the board and could be taken up at a future meeting, per the Fort Worth Report. Its next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 10.
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