Rep. Charlie Geren is tired of seeing the Tarrant Appraisal District make headlines.

Just before the Friday deadline for new bill filings, the Republican from Fort Worth proposed legislation to abolish appraisal districts in certain counties and put their appraisal functions in control of the state comptroller.

The bill applies to counties with a population of more than 2.1 million that contain an airport owned by the principal municipality that does not offer commercial service. Tarrant County has more than 2.1 million people, and the city of Fort Worth owns Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, which does not offer commercial airline service. The bill would take effect Sept. 1.

The problems at the agency date to 2016, and an “explosive” audit of new appraisal software at the time.

“The Tarrant Appraisal District should never be in the news,” Geren said. “They’re not responsive to the point where they need to be, and I think there’s a problem at the top. And I think this will fix the problem at the top.”

When asked why he proposed the bill, Geren cited former board chair Kathryn Wilemon’s recall and resignation.

Wilemon, who critics say repeatedly avoided putting oversight-related items on meeting agendas, was recalled by Keller City Council on Feb. 20. She resigned the next day, leaving politicians questioning how to go about filling the seat. Replacing Wilemon through the recall process would give the taxing entities that voted for her the chance to pick her successor. Treating the empty seat as a vacancy would allow the board to choose Wilemon’s replacement.

At a special meeting on March 3, Chief Appraiser Jeff Law said he would notify relevant taxing entities of the recall and the vacancy. However, in a letter sent the same day to taxing entities, he wrote something different: “Since the recall process was only initiated, it is now canceled as a result of the vacancy.”

At their March 7 meeting, Tarrant County commissioners voted to recall Wilemon.

On the same day Geren filed the legislation, Tarrant County threatened legal action against TAD if the agency does not pursue the recall process.

Geren also cited the board’s behavior during a special June board meeting when hundreds came to support tax consultant Chandler Crouch and were forced to wait outside in triple digit heat.

The meeting drew a crowd, because the board planned to address unauthorized (and later unfounded) complaints filed with the state against Crouch by TAD Director of Residential Appraisals Randy Armstrong in which he invoked his position at TAD. The agency’s handling of the complaints resulted in the suspensions of Armstrong and Chief Appraiser Jeff Law.

Geren said he selected the comptroller’s office to oversee appraisal functions in applicable counties, because the office is already tasked with reviewing appraisals.

He trusts that the comptroller’s office would approach the task with much-needed transparency, because it’s “one of the most transparent offices in the state of Texas,” Geren said.

Geren didn’t have many details about the cost of the maneuver or whether the comptroller’s control of the appraisal district would be permanent. But he did say he envisions most people working for TAD would keep their jobs.

“It was done in a hurry, and we’ll make it work,” he said.

The Texas Comptroller’s office did not have a comment on the bill, but a spokesperson said the office is not a sponsor of the legislation.

TAD did not respond to requests for comment.

This story was originally published March 13, 2023, 10:21 AM.