Tarrant Appraisal County Chair Resigns After Keller-Initiated Recall

The chairman of the Tarrant Appraisal District Board of Directors resigned this week after the Keller City Council voted in favor of the recall, the mayor said.

On Wednesday, the grading board learned that Katherine Wylemon had stepped down as chair after two years in that role. According to a post in the Denton Record-Chronicleciting TAD board member Rich DeOtt, who said Wilemon submitted her resignation via email and did not provide a reason.

TAJ is responsible for local property tax assessment and tax exemption management for 73 jurisdictions or tax units in Tarrant County. TAD does not set tax rates, they are set by each tax unit (county, city, school district). Property valuation is determined by the valuation district and then used by the tax authorities to calculate and allocate the property owner’s annual tax burden.

If Wilemont had not resigned, the recall initiated by the Keller city council could have been brought before all tax authorities.

TAD has been the subject of recent controversy, including the alleged appointment of a property tax advisor which helped residents protest and lower their tax assessments, as well as allegations of harassment against an employee who was eventually fired.

But according to Keller Mayor Armin Mizani, who issued a statement on Thursday morningrecent controversy was not the only reason for the withdrawal.

In a Facebook statement, Misani confirmed that she learned of Wilemont’s departure and said that the Keller City Council initiated a recall against her because the city contributed to reducing the tax burden on residents, but that the assessment district did not. progress on their end.

Mizani said the people on the board of directors of the Tarrant Appraisal District are appointed to two-year terms and appointed by the tax authorities that make up Tarrant County. This means that taxpayers do not directly vote for board members, but instead rely on their elected city councils, school boards, and commissioned districts to vote for board members on their behalf.

Mizani said the Keller City Council met with board candidates who hoped to earn their votes and that they cast their votes on the assumption that these candidates would work to make TAD more accountable, transparent and credible.

The mayor said the city council had been asked to consider whether things were better with TAD than they were two years ago, and that they thought the answer was “a resounding no.”

“When a former state senator should formally demand that the TAD board of directors investigate why the number of protests has soared in Tarrant County compared to others across the state; when we hear stories about a former TAD employee harassing female employees; when we hear stories about a high-ranking TAD official who has set their sights on someone’s livelihood and professional license solely on the basis that they helped others in their protests, which causes serious distrust. And we, as a city council, work on behalf of everyone you, do not see quick and appropriate action to solve these problems,” Mizani said in a statement.

Misany added that distrust of TAD did not arise overnight and that Tarrant County residents have complained about the assessment county for years.

“When we voted in December 2021, we expected progress on behalf of our taxpayers. We have not seen this progress. It’s time for a change,” Misani said.

Before joining the TAD Board of Directors, Wilemon served several times on the Arlington City Council. voter-approved term limits in 2018 forced her out of office next year.