The Tarrant Appraisal District will review its conflict of interest policy after a Star-Telegram report detailed a former TAD employee’s potential violation of the policy.

The TAD code of conduct prohibits employees from selling real estate in Tarrant County while working at TAD.

During her tenure as an appraiser at TAD, Chana Massey co-founded a brokerage that operates in Tarrant County.

The Star-Telegram asked Chief Appraiser Jeff Law about the potential conflict of interest after the TAD board meeting on Nov. 11. Law said he would look into the matter.

The Star-Telegram requested a copy of Massey’s personnel file on Nov. 15. Two days later, on Nov. 17, Massey resigned from TAD employment after more than 13 years of service.

At the conclusion of its meeting on Friday, the board the board agreed to add discussion of the conflict of intrest policy to the agenda for its next meeting, scheduled for 9 a.m. Feb. 10.

“This morning, there was a Star-Telegram report, and we thought, we maybe need to review and go over that,” said board chair Kathryn Wilemon when asked about the decision.

The board also unanimously agreed to retain Chief Appraiser Jeff Law during the meeting.

“I believe this board is very attentive to what happened last year and the things that caused it,” said board member Rich DeOtte, who has previously been critical of the board. “I believe the situation is getting rectified. I want the public to understand there was a revealing and helpful discussion in executive session about everything that’s happened.”

Last year, TAD and its board were the subject of public scrutiny when TAD’s head of residential appraisal Randy Armstrong filed complaints against Fort Worth property tax consultant Chandler Crouch. In the complaints to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Armstrong invoked his position at TAD but did not receive permission to file the complaints on behalf of the agency. Law failed to notify the board about the complaints.

Public discontent culminated in a marathon June board meeting in which hundreds showed up to support Crouch but were forced to wait outside in triple digit temperatures, because the room for the board meeting could fit only 14 people. Secruity personnel were hostile to the crowd and tried to bar reporters from entering the building.

Both Armstrong and Law were suspended for two weeks for failing to notify the board of the complaints.

This story was originally published January 13, 2023 2:59 PM.