Harris Central Appraisal District Board of Directors met Feb. 16

Harris Central Appraisal District Board of Directors met Feb. 16.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

A meeting of the Harris Central Board of Directors was held Friday, February 16th, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. at the HCAD offices.

Chairman Martina Lemond Dixon called the meeting to order at 9:32 a.m.

Board member Cassandra Auzenne Bandy 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 Martina Lemond Dixon, Cassandra Auzenne Bandy, Jonathan Cowen, Jim Robinson, and Grace Rodriguez were present. Mike Sullivan joined the meeting at 9:44 a.m. Ann Harris Bennett was absent.

Chief Appraiser Roland Altinger and Tammy White-Chaffer of Olson and Olson, legal counsel, were also in attendance.

Recognition of Service Awards and Employees of the Month. Chief Appraiser Altinger and Board member Jonathan Cowen presented a 10-year service award to Olivia Henderson of the Commercial Property Division.

20-year service awards were presented to Justin Birmingham of the Review Appraisal Division and Betty Cheatham of the Information & Assistance Division.

25-year service awards were presented to Matthew Reyes of the Business & Industrial Property Division and Vonda Stewart of the Information & Assistance Division.

Employees of the Month. Chief Appraiser Roland Altinger and Board member Jonathan Cowen presented employee of the month plaques to Jason King of the Records Center Division, Melissa Soto of the Residential Property Division, Lauren Tulsa of the Business & Industrial Property Division, and James Wang of the Legal Services Division.

Comments from Members of the Public. Property owner Marian Wright addressed the board. Handouts were provided to the board of directors.

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. Rodriguez, moved to approve the consent agenda. The motion carried unanimously.

a. Approval of Minutes. Reviewing and approving the minutes of the regular meeting of January 17, 2024.

b. Financial Reports. Receiving the district’s monthly financial reports.

c. Bills and Payroll. Authorizing payment of bills and payroll in amount of $4,911,247.54 as submitted.

Resolution for Order of General Election. Mr. Sullivan, seconded by Mr. Cowen, moved to approve the adoption of Resolution 2024-01 for May 2024 for the election of three board members. Board member Jim Robinson updated the board with the latest information regarding the May 2024 Board member election, the Harris County Clerk’s office and the costs associated with the election. Board member Mr. Sullivan thanked Mr. Robinson for all the hard work he has put into getting us to where we are today with this election. The motion carried unanimously.

Resolution for Election Services Interlocal Agreement. Mr. Robinson, seconded by Mr. Sullivan, moved to approve adoption of Resolution 2024-02, an interlocal agreement with Harris County for Election Services for the May 2024 board member election. Todd Stewart of Olson and Olson, legal counsel, addressed the board to clarify questions presented by members, outlining the administerial duties associated with the Secretary of the Board and stating that he would also be updating the board after looking into the issue of any legal ramifications of potential run-offs. The motion carried unanimously.

HCAD Boardroom Remodel. Mr. Cowen, seconded by Ms. Auzenne Bandy, moved to approve authorizing the Chief Appraiser to contract with Philip Ewald Architecture Inc. to provide space planning and design services for the remodel of the HCAD Boardroom. Due to the safety precautions of the remodel and at the request of Chairman Lemond Dixon discussion of this item would be presented in closed session. The motion carried unanimously.

Chief Appraiser Evaluation Process Committee. Mr. Sullivan, seconded by Mr. Cowen, moved to approve the creation of a committee to assess the Chief Appraiser’s Evaluation Process. Chairman Lemond Dixon appointed Board members Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Robinson, and Ms. Auzenne Bandy to the Evaluation Process committee with Ms. Auzenne Bandy to serve as Chair. The motion carried unanimously.

Exemption Volume. Scott Christenson, Senior Director of Information and Assistance, and Clarette Walker, Chief of Operations, reported on the current status and the challenges of HCAD’s Homestead Exemption applications. A slide presentation was provided to the board.

2023 Property Value Study. Jason Cunningham, Deputy Chief Appraiser, reported on the preliminary results of HCAD’s 2023 Property Value Study.

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, Danielle Kirkland, 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.

Appraisal Matters. There were none.

Executive Session. Chairman Lemond Dixon called the board into executive session at 11:00 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 Lemond Dixon opened the meeting at 12:32 p.m.

Roll Call. Board members Jim Robinson, Cassandra Auzenne Bandy, Jonathan Cowen, Mike Sullivan, and Grace Rodriguez were present. Ann Harris Bennett was absent.

Pending Litigation. Mr. Cowen, seconded by Ms. Auzenne Bandy, moved to approve settlement of pending litigation, arbitrations, and SOAH appeals as submitted by staff. The motion passed with Mr. Sullivan abstaining. A list is attached.

Appeals Under Sec. 42.02 Tax Code. There were none.

Adjournment. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the meeting adjourned at 12:33 p.m.

https://hcad.org/assets/uploads/pdf/forms/2024/Boardbook-March-25-2024-Special-Meeting.pdf