As attention focuses on the recent presidential election, there’s an urgent issue at home that directly impacts our finances and property taxes not only in Tarrant County, but across the entire state. This isn’t just about politics; it’s about real effects on your wallet. Beneath the surface, a complex situation is unfolding at the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD) and within local school districts, and we need to act to protect the progress we've made. The Hidden Battle Over Property Taxes Since 2022, we've seen significant progress in protecting taxpayer rights, thanks to new legislation that empowered taxpayers to elect representatives to the TAD Board of Directors. This shift happened because we collectively took a stand against practices that treated taxpayers unfairly as TAD acted without accountability. The new laws allow us to elect three taxpayer representatives, ensuring the board remains responsive to the community. However, recent election outcomes have brought new challenges. Governor Abbott recently emphasized his support for school choice, causing concern among public school advocates who worry this shift could reduce public school funding. Additionally, Northwest ISD faced a setback when its proposed tax rate increase (VATRE) failed in three counties. This defeat has heightened tensions between school districts and TAD as they try to secure funding for local education. The TAD Reappraisal Plan: A Source of Controversy Adding to the mix, TAD’s new reappraisal plan aims to reappraise properties every two years instead of annually. While this plan could stabilize property taxes for homeowners, school districts relying on increased property tax revenues are concerned it might limit their funding. This tension has sparked discussions among school districts about potential legal action against TAD, intensifying the debate. Why Gary Losada is the Right Choice for TAD’s Board of Directors With these complex issues at play, we need balanced, experienced leadership on the TAD Board. That’s why I’m endorsing Gary Losada for one of the five available board seats. Gary has a unique understanding of both taxpayer and school district concerns: Experience in Education: With a degree in Education from Stanford, Gary is deeply committed to public education. He values the importance of strong school funding while advocating for taxpayer fairness. Proven Leadership: Gary has already made a difference on the TAD board by eliminating inefficiencies and holding individuals accountable for questionable practices, leading to positive changes. Balanced Approach: Gary understands that a fair tax system benefits both taxpayers and schools. His ability to bridge the gap between these two perspectives makes him an ideal candidate to keep TAD moving in the right direction. Don't take it from me, read what Gary himself has to say. Here's a letter Gary wrote detailing some accomplishemnt and his vision for the future. How You Can Help The power to vote for TAD board members lies with local school board trustees, city council members, and county commissioners. To protect our progress, we need these voting members to hear from the community. Here’s how you can help:1. Contact Your Representatives: Email your local school board trustees and city council members. Let them know why you support Gary Losada for TAD’s Board of Directors.2. Share Gary’s Vision: Emphasize Gary’s commitment to balanced, fair property tax policies that protect both homeowners and school districts. Gary Losada’s experience and dedication make him the leader Tarrant County needs on the TAD Board of Directors. Your voice is crucial in ensuring fair property tax practices that benefit everyone. Let’s make sure our elected officials understand the importance of having Gary on the board.   Here's a video I made covering how this affects everybody     Here's my endorsement video for Gary

Early Voting: Monday, April 22, 2024 - Tuesday, April 30, 2024  | Election Day May 4, 2024 Background: Turmoil and Reform For the first time ever, voters in each of the largest counties across the state will elect three board members to oversee the agency charged with appraising property for tax purposes. The election on May 4, 2024, comes amid a tumultuous time for the Tarrant Appraisal District Board of Directors (BOD), which has been mired in a series of scandals. The fallout from public outcry last year resulted in departures of several top TAD leaders, including the board chairwoman, the chief appraiser, top IT executives, and the directors of residential and commercial departments. The final boot was given to the Tarrant tax assessor who recently lost the primary election. You can find your voting location here.  Legislative Response: SB 2 and Voter Empowerment State lawmakers took notice of the upheaval in Tarrant County and agreed to give voters the opportunity to choose who represents them on the board, which had only been appointed by the county, cities, school districts, and other local taxing entities. Senate Bill 2 requires counties with a population over 75,000 to have their boards of directors increased by three members, who will be elected by voters to staggered four-year terms. The change expanded the Tarrant County Board of Directors to nine voting members - four appointed, three publicly elected - and granted voting privileges to the tax assessor starting July 1, 2024. The three new positions are labeled At-Large Place 1, At-Large Place 2, and At-Large Place 3 on the countywide ballot. New Responsibilities: Shifting Powers and Accountability While the board of directors don’t make direct decisions regarding property values, they have the authority to choose who does. The board has a new responsibility of hiring all of the protest hearing panelists - who do have the power to change property values. Until now, the board’s main role had been to hire the county’s chief appraiser and set the appraisal district’s budget. The three newly elected positions will be like all other sitting board members, except they’ll have an extra special power when it comes to hiring panelists for the protest hearing. A candidate must receive approval from at least two of the three “at-large” directors when the total board votes. These panelists, who are formally called members the Appraisal Review Board (ARB), had been appointed to the position by an administrative law judge. Lawmakers hope the SB 2 legislation will address some of the loudest complaints about the tax protest system. Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare’s office was charged with approving candidates for the ballot. Eligibility requirements included: Must be a county resident for a least two years Must not be a representative of a tax entity or appraisal district The state left it to the appraisal districts to pay for the new election as an unfunded mandate, which was estimated to cost $300,000 in Tarrant County, said TAD board Chairman Vince Puente Sr. Meet the Candidates Competing for Tarrant County's Appraisal Board Place 1 Eric MorrisElectericmorris.com Sayeda Syedfacebook.com/Sayeda4TAD Trae Fowler fowlerfortad.com facebook.com/FowlerForTAD Place 2 Callie RigneyVoteCallieRigney.com Eric B. Crilefacebook.com/CrileforTAD Place 3 Chuck Kelleyfacebook.com/Chuck4TAD Matt BryantElectMattBryant.com Lee HendersonLeeHenderson.org

Here is a full blog article I wrote that answers a lot of questions about the Tarrant Tax Assessor Collector Election Wendy Burgess. I have worked on issues involving Wendy Burgess, but I have not worked with the other candidate in this primary elections, Rick Barnes. My comments are limited to what I have witnessed first hand.

Please, whatever you do, don't vote for Wendy Burgess. She has cost me dearly. Her primary responsibility is to represent the interest of the people so that if our tax system runs amuck, we can have a representative stand up for us. On this, she failed. Here’s what happened The government attacked me in an attempt to prevent me from helping you. I asked the TAD board dozens of times for help. She was the ONLY person on the TAD board elected to represent the citizens and at every turn, she defended the bad guys. This video is just the tip of the iceberg. When the government attacks its citizens and the person elected to defend us turns her back, why should we vote her back in office? But Chandler, tax bills were sent out. Shouldn’t she get credit for that? No. She’s not putting stamps on envelopes and staying up late to make sure all your tax bills are mailed out. Our government would not allow 1 politician to screw up sending out tax bills. Tax bills will be delivered regardless of who is in office. The staff takes care of this and they deserve all the credit. When the politician gets too involved they screw everything up by using our tax bills as a campaign tool like this. Why is the tax assessor an elected position? Good question. She doesn’t set the tax rate. She doesn’t determine the tax value of your house. The tax assessor doesn’t play any role whatsoever in increasing or decreasing your taxes. It is largely an administrative role. The office prints and mails your bill. It's an elected position because her #1 job is to make sure our tax system is implemented with fairness and consideration for the taxpayers she represents. It's an elected position so when the government turns on it's citizens, we can hold someone to account. The government turned on its citizens and she went right along with them.  But she doesn’t vote on the TAD board. You’re right… for now. However, new laws would make the Tax Assessor-Collector a voting member in July. Up to this point, her only job was to be the voice of the people, and she failed. She can, however, make motions. The only time I remember her making a motion was when she went against the staff’s recommended vendor (who was a fraction of the cost) in an attempt to “hook up” one of her biggest political donors with a government contract. Thankfully the motion didn’t pass, but it was very fishy. Why do politicians care about this office so much? Bottom line - name recognition. Tax Assessor is the perfect springboard into a higher office. Politicians rely on name recognition more than anything else to get elected. When you write your tax bill out to “Wendy Burgess,” it becomes very difficult to forget her name. Burgess understands this better than anyone… A ton of our tax bills got screwed up when she wasted money by using our tax bills as a campaign tool. Please don’t vote for her. 4 years is a long time. Voting locations for Tarrant Tax Assessor Collector Election: Early voting Feb 20-March 1. Election day March 5.