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Harris County Appraisal District Board of Directors met Jan. 18.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
A meeting of the Harris Central Board of Directors was held Wednesday, January 18th, 2023, at 9:30 a.m. at the HCAD offices.
Chairman Sullivan called the meeting to order at 9:32 a.m.
Board member Martina Lemond Dixon led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance and the Salute to the Texas Flag.
Roll Call. The presence of a quorum was established. Chairman Sullivan, Jim Robinson, Kathy Blueford-Daniels, Jonathan Cowen, and Martina Lemond Dixon were present. Ann Harris Bennett and Al Odom were absent.
Chief Appraiser Roland Altinger and Todd Stewart of Olson and Olson, legal counsel, also were in attendance.
Elect a Board Chair, Secretary and Assistant Secretary. Chairman Sullivan opened the floor to nominations for officers of the board of directors for 2023. Mr. Robinson, seconded by Mr. Cowen, nominated Mr. Sullivan as Chairman; there were no other nominations. For the position of Secretary, Chairman Sullivan, seconded by Ms. Blueford-Daniels, moved to nominate Ms. Lemond Dixon; there were no other nominations. Mr. Cowen, seconded by Ms. Blueford-Daniels, moved to nominate Mr. Odom for the position of Assistant Secretary; there were no other nominations. The motion carried unanimously by acclamation.
Recognition of Service Awards and Employees of the Month. Chief Appraiser Altinger and Board member Jim Robinson presented a 10-year service award to Suzanne Rodriguez of the Business & Industrial Property Division.
15-year service awards were presented to Frank Altamuro of the Residential Property Division, Anitra Collins of the Residential Property Division, Maria Cote of the Review Appraisal Division, Sangeeta Dargan of the Information Technology Division, Louis Johnson of the Information & Assistance Division, Khoa Le of the Residential Property Division and Aaron Pack of the Commercial Property Division.
A 20-year service award was presented to April Holcomb of Appraisal Operations. A 30-year service award was presented to Hal Long of the Business & Industrial Property Division. A 40-year service award was presented to Gina Caldwell of the Commercial Property Division.
Employees of the Month. Chief Appraiser Altinger and Board Member Jim Robinson presented employee of the month plaques to Allen Jamail of the Residential Property Division, Bobby Preisler of the Legal Services Division, Stacy Stewart of the Information & Assistance Division, and Sheena Williams of the Communications Services Division.
Comments from Members of the Public. Property owner, Marian Wright, addressed the board.
Consent Agenda
“All matters listed under consent agenda are considered to be routine and will be enacted by one motion, there will not be separate discussion of these items. If discussion is desired, that item will be removed from the consent agenda and considered separately.”
Mr. Cowen, seconded by Ms. Lemond Dixon, moved to approve the consent agenda. The motion carried unanimously.
a. Approval of Minutes. Reviewing and approving the minutes of the regular meeting of December 14, 2022.
b. Centre Technologies. Approving a one-year renewal of support and subscription for VMware licenses from DIR vendor Centre Technologies in the amount of $116,000.
c. Accudata Systems. Approving a one-year renewal of maintenance and support for the network storage from a DIR vendor Accudata Systems, a Converge Company, in the amount of $91,000.
d. Financial Reports. Receiving the district’s monthly financial reports.
e. Bills and Payroll. Authorizing payment of bills and payroll in amount of $8,356,975 as submitted.
Facilities Management and Operation Services Contract. Mr. Robinson, seconded by Ms. Lemond Dixon, moved to award a contract for facilities management and operations services to Colliers Property Management Services, LLC the lowest and best bidder in accordance with the terms of the agreement presented. The motion carried unanimously.
Temporary Staffing Services RFP. Mr. Cowen, seconded by Ms. Lemond Dixon, moved to approve specifications presented for the purchase of temporary staffing services and authorize publication of request for proposal. The motion carried unanimously. Director Blueford-Daniels suggested that the internship offered at HCAD to college students be extended to the high schools which would offer a great opportunity for the young students to get acclimated to the job world.
Eccentex Corporation. Mr. Cowen, seconded by Mr. Robinson, moved to approve a contract, subject to approval by HCAD legal counsel, for enhancements, as described in the information provided, to our Case Management System software from Eccentex Corporation, a sole source provider. The motion carried unanimously.
Board Travel. Ms. Lemond Dixon, seconded by Mr. Cowen, moved to approve travel for those directors planning to attend the 2023 TAAD Annual Conference. The motion carried unanimously.
Appoint TAAD Delegates. Mr. Robinson, seconded by Ms. Blueford-Daniels, moved to appoint Jason Cunningham as delegate and Clarette Walker as alternate delegate to the 2023 Texas Association of Appraisal Districts Annual Conference. The motion carried unanimously.
2022 BEAR Project. Alysia Smith with the Information Technology Division reported on HCAD’s participation in the 2022 CPS Kids project (BEAR). A total of 699 gifts were purchased and delivered to children in CPS custody. A slide presentation was provided to the board. Chairman Sullivan thanked all those that participated in the project.
Taxpayer Liaison Officer Report. Teresa Terry, Taxpayer Liaison Officer, provided a verbal report to the board. A written report was also provided in the board packet.
Appraisal Review Board Report. ARB Chairman, Winnie Tunsel, reported on the progress of hearings, attendance by members of the appraisal review board at hearings, and activities of the executive staff and the board’s attorney.
Protest and Hearings. Varmika Johnson, ARB Support Manager, reported on protests and hearings, including iFile and iSettle. As of this morning, for the 2022 tax year, 495,458 protests have been received with the majority of them being filed electronically. Hearings are now being scheduled one day per week to complete prior year, correction, and exemption accounts.
Appraisal Matters. There were none.
Executive Session. Chairman Sullivan called the board into executive session at 10:39 a.m. for the purpose of: (a) private consultation with the board’s attorney regarding (i) pending and potential litigation, (ii) settlement of pending appeals to the State Office of Administrative Hearings, (iii) settlement of pending arbitrations under Texas Tax Code Chapter 41A, and (iv) settlement of pending litigation under Texas Tax Code Chapter 42; (b) considering the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer, or employee, including the duties and appointment of the chief appraiser; (c) considering the deployment, or specific occasions for implementation of security personnel or devices; (d) deliberating the purchase, exchange, lease or value of real property if deliberation in an open meeting would have a detrimental effect on the position of the governmental body in negotiations with a third person, as permitted by the Open Meetings Act, Chap. 551, Government Code.
Chairman Sullivan opened the meeting at 11:43 a.m.
Roll Call. Board members Jim Robinson, Kathy Blueford-Daniels, Martina Lemond Dixon, and Jonathan Cowen were present. Ann Harris Bennett and Al Odom were absent.
Pending Litigation. Ms. Blueford-Daniels, seconded by Mr. Cowen, moved to approve settlement of pending litigation, arbitrations, and SOAH appeals as submitted by staff. The motion carried with Chairman Sullivan abstaining. A list is attached.
Appeals Under Sec. 42.02 Tax Code. There were none.
25.25(b) Corrections. The quarterly report of corrections was made available upon request by any board members who wanted to inspect it.
Salary review of chief appraiser and TLO. Mr. Cowen, seconded by Ms. Lemond Dixon, moved to confirm the Chief Appraiser’s salary for 2023 as adopted in the 2023 budget with a 6% increase. The motion carried unanimously. Mr. Robinson, seconded by Ms. Blueford-Daniels, moved to set the Taxpayer Liaison Officer’s 2023 compensation at $75 an hour. The motion carried unanimously.
Adjournment. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the meeting adjourned at 11:47 a.m.
https://hcad.org/assets/uploads/pdf/resources/2023/Boardbook-February-15_-2023-meeting-final.pdf