Harris Central Appraisal District Board of Directors met June 25

Harris Central Appraisal District Board of Directors met June 25.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

A special meeting of the Harris Central Board of Directors was held Wednesday, June 26th, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. at the HCAD offices.

Chairman Martina Lemond Dixon called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.

Roll Call. The presence of a quorum was established. Chairman Martina Lemond Dixon, Cassandra Auzenne Bandy, Jonathan Cowen, and Jim Robinson were present. Mike Sullivan, Grace Rodriguez and Ann Harris Bennett were absent.

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

Board member Jonathan Cowen led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance and the Salute to the Texas Flag.

Comments from Members of the Public. There were none.

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

a. Approval of Minutes. Reviewing and approving the minutes of the regular meeting of April 17, 2024, the special and regular meetings of May 15, 2024, and the June 18, 2024 meeting.

b. Workday Subscription. Approving a one-year renewal of Workday products subscription from Texas DIR vendor Precision Task Group in the amount of $474,341.

c. HCAD Investment Policy & Strategies. Approving Resolution No. 2024-05 relating to review and approval of the Harris Central Appraisal District Investment Policy and Investment Strategies.

d. Furniture & Equipment Surplus. Declaring certain furniture and equipment as surplus and approve for sale/or disposal.

e. Board Travel. Approving travel for the board members who plan to attend the International Association of Assessing Officers Annual Conference on August 25 through August 28, 2024.

SoftwareOne Agreement. Mr. Cowen, seconded by Mr. Robinson, moved to approve a new three-year Enterprise Agreement (EA) for selected Microsoft software licenses with The Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS) vendor, SoftwareONE, in the amount of $780,000. The motion carried unanimously.

Boardroom Remodel RFP. Mr. Robinson, seconded by Mr. Cowen, made a motion to discuss and possible action to approve specifications for the remodel of the board of directors’ meeting room and authorize the publication of the invitation for bids. After voicing concerns by board members present, a motion to table the item was made by Mr. Robinson and seconded by Mr. Cowen. With approval by Chairman Lemond Dixon, further discussion of this item would be provided in Executive session.

Schedule Public Hearing for 2025 Budget. Mr. Cowen, seconded by Ms. Auzenne Bandy, moved to schedule the date, time and place for a public hearing on the 2025 budget for Harris Central Appraisal District. Chairman Lemond Dixon, seconded by Mr. Robinson amended the motion to schedule the public hearing in conjunction with the July board meeting. The public hearing will be held at 9:30 a.m. on July 17, 2024, here in the Board Room on the 7th Floor, of 13013 Northwest Freeway, Houston, Texas. The motion carried unanimously.

Schedule Public Hearing for Proposed 2025-2026 Reappraisal Plan. Mr. Robinson, seconded by Mr. Cowen, moved to schedule the public hearing on the 2025 – 2026 Reappraisal Plan for Harris Central Appraisal District at 9:30 a.m. on July 17, 2024, here in the Board Room on the 7th Floor, of 13013 Northwest Freeway, Houston, Texas. The motion carried unanimously.

Building Automated System. Mr. Cowen, seconded by Ms. Auzenne Bandy, moved to contract with Graves Mechanical Inc., sole source, to install floors four and seven to the current building’s automated system. The motion carried unanimously.

Chilled Water Equipment Contract. Ms. Auzenne Bandy, seconded by Mr. Cowen, moved to review proposals and award a contract for the replacement of two chillers, four chilled water pumps, and one condenser water pump for the appraisal district headquarters building at 13013 Northwest Freeway. The motion carried unanimously. During the meeting, it was noted that the contract had not been awarded to a specific bidder, so at the request of Legal counsel, an amended motion was made by Mr. Cowen and seconded by Ms. Auzenne Bandy to award the contract to Graco. The motion carried unanimously.

Temporary Staffing Services. Mr. Robinson, seconded by Mr. Cowen, moved to increase the temporary services contract with Corestaff Services and A-1 Personnel for temporary staffing services by $200,000 for the remainder of 2024. The motion carried unanimously.

S.B.2 and H.B. 1285 Update. Kevin McCormack, chief legal officer, provided an update regarding the district’s implementation of S.B. 2 and H.B. 1285. A slide presentation was provided to the board.

2024 Preliminary Rolls & Certified Estimates. Kyle Whitener reported on providing the 2024 preliminary rolls to the taxing jurisdictions and certified estimates to the school districts, county, and cities. A slide presentation was provided to the board.

Over 65 letters. Chief Appraiser Altinger reported on the automatic mailing of the over-65 homestead exemption letter to property owners, a total of 2,925 letters have been mailed.

Exemption Volume. Scott Christenson, Senior Director of Information and Assistance provided the board with an update on the Homestead Exemption applications. A slide presentation was provided to the board.

BIPD Notice Status. Hal Long, Associate Chief Appraiser of the Business & Industrial Property Division reported on the 2024 BIPD notice status. A slide presentation was provided to the board.

Protests, Hearings, and Required Notice. . Jeff Morrison, Chief of Hearings, reported on protests and hearings, including iFile and iSettle and the publication of the newspaper notice as required by law. He reported that the annual page ad outlining the property tax protest and the appeal procedures ran in the Daily Court Review on May 6th. Protests are still being processed but as of this meeting for the 2024 tax year, 494,815 protests have been received with the vast majority of them being filed electronically. Formal hearings began May 13th and correction, and exemption hearings continue to be scheduled to stay current.

Severe Weather Disaster. Chief Appraiser Altinger reported on the measures taken in response to storms and flooding in April and straight-line winds and tornado in May declared emergencies by Governor Abbott.

Taylor Lake Village Issue. Clarette Walker, Chief of Operations reported on a solution to the issues that the Mayor of Taylor Lake Village brought to the board’s attention at the April meeting. A slide was presented to the board.

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. Chairman Lemond Dixon requested that with the current phone issues at HCAD an official bottleneck analysis be provided to the board so that the data and the recommendations for the solutions can be reviewed by the board. Also requested by board member Jonathan Cowen was information on the peak hours. Chairman Lemond Dixon also expressed sincere condolences on behalf of the board and HCAD to Board member Cassandra Auzenne Bandy with the recent passing of her father.

Executive Session. Chairman Lemond Dixon called the board into executive session at 10:51 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 11:42 a.m.

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

Chairman Lemond Dixon with a quorum present ratified the vote on agenda item 9 scheduling the public hearing on the 2025 – 2026 Reappraisal Plan for Harris Central Appraisal District at 9:30 a.m. on July 17, 2024, here in the Board Room on the 7th Floor, of 13013 Northwest Freeway, Houston, Texas.

Adjournment. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the meeting adjourned at 11:43 a.m.

https://hcad.org/assets/uploads/pdf/resources/2024/Boardbook-July-22-2024-Special-meeting.pdf