Williamson Central Appraisal District
Board of Directors Meeting
Downloadable PDF Minutes of February 8, 2024
Jon Lux, Chairman, called the regular meeting of the Williamson Central Appraisal District Board of Directors to order Thursday, February 8, 2024, at 9:03 AM. Board members present: Jon Lux, Lora Weber, Hope Hisle-Piper, Harry Gibbs, Michael Wei, and Larry Gaddes. Quorum declared.
Some of the District’s management staff were in attendance.
Pledges of Allegiance
Oath of Office by Board Members
Colleen McElroy, the District’s Administrative Office Manager, administered the oath of office to Lux and Gibbs who were unable to be in attendance in person at the prior meeting.
Receipt of Public Comments
There were no public comments.
Taxpayer Liaison Officer’s Report
Report on Property Owner Contacts
Glenda Williams, the District’s Taxpayer Liaison Officer, was present to report on the status of her contact with property owners.
Consent / Possible Action Items
The consent agenda includes non-controversial and routine items that the Board may act on with one single vote. Any Board member may pull any item from the consent agenda in order that the Board discuss and act upon it individually as part of the regular agenda.
Consent Agenda Items:
Approval of Minutes of the Board of Directors for the regular meeting – January 11, 2024
Monthly Financials
Quarterly Investment Report
Quarterly Taxing Unit Payments
Hisle-Piper moved for approval of the consent agenda items A-D. Gibbs seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
Possible Board Agenda Format Changes
Lankford displayed an agenda example noting that this agenda included reasons for entering executive session and allowed for executive session at any time during a posted meeting rather than needing to postpone an agenda item. Lankford announced that the District would continue to list executive session items as it currently had but also add this additional information to the bottom of each agenda. No motion was necessary.
Publicly Elected Board of Director Members
Lankford discussed a resolution which had been provided by the Williamson County Elections office. He requested that the Board approve this resolution regarding utilizing public election equipment which was required as a part of moving forward with the election.
Gaddes made a motion to approve resolution 2024-02 as presented. Hisle-Piper seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
Lankford also discussed the election agreement and contract for election services. He announced that the total estimated cost was showing to be $50,000, which was lower than what was originally expected. He also indicated that after the final determination is made of who the participating authorities will be, the Elections Administrator will provide an official cost estimate. Lankford announced that the District’s share of the election costs is indicated in the contract. The District will pay a prorated share of the costs based on the number of registered voters in Williamson County. Gaddes informed the Board that they should expect a higher number than the estimate provided. This final number will be provided at a later time.
Hisle-Piper moved to approve the election agreement and contract for election services with Williamson County. Weber seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
Lankford reviewed the public Board election process, indicating that the first term would start in July of 2024 and run through December of 2026 and from that point forward they would have staggered terms. He indicated that if there were no opponents for the three places that there was a provision for cancelling the election, which would save the costs associated with this election. Lankford announced that if this were the case, the Board would need to conduct a meeting to cancel the election. He also reviewed the vacancy procedures should any of the current members be publicly elected. Discussion followed.
Lankford indicated that Texas Association of Appraisal Districts (TAAD) is currently looking at the fact that this is a majority vote election which means if three people run for one place on the board and no one gets more than 50% of the vote, they would need to have a runoff election and therefore the election costs would be doubled.
Investment Advisory Committee
Lankford announced that the District’s current Investment Advisory Committee consists of himself, the District’s Finance HR Manager, Kimberly Gamboa, and Board member, Mason Moses who no longer serves on the Board. Hisle-Piper offered to step into this position. Lankford mentioned the public investment training that is typically attended.
Wei moved to appoint the following individuals to the Investment Advisory Committee: Alvin Lankford, Kimberly Gamboa, and Hope Hisle-Piper. Gibbs seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
Agricultural Advisory Committee
Lankford informed the Board members that annually, as part of the tax code, they must approve the listing of Agricultural Advisory Committee members. He explained that this committee advises the District’s agricultural department regarding the valuing of agricultural land. The committee members are as follows: James Davidson, Gene Lawhon, Wilbert Vorwerk, Billy Carlson, and Mark Prinz.
Gibbs made a motion to approve the listing of Agricultural Advisory Committee members as they were presented. Weber seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
Annual Review of Contracts
Lankford reviewed the listing of the District’s contracts with vendors. Wei requested that a column indicating the type of service provided be added to the spreadsheet.
No motion was necessary.
Chief Appraiser’s Report
WCAD Presentations
Lankford discussed a recorded session that he and Gaddes had participated in with a local real estate firm, the Cummings Team. He explained that this recording is then shared with their clients as well as posted on the District’s website. Lankford indicated that appraisal notices and the homestead exemption were among some of the items discussed. He indicated that this video would be finalized in the coming weeks. Gaddes mentioned that he and Lankford were planning to construct a calendar of events that occur throughout the year. He was hopeful that the Cummings Team would then post these events at the appropriate time.
Methods & Assistance Program Review Update
Lankford announced that the Texas Comptroller audits the District’s office every other year for the Methods and Assistance Program (MAP Review). A list of questions is asked to ensure the District is complying with appraisal valuation standards and the tax code. Lankford displayed the report and shared that since these have been conducted, the District had always passed the MAP Review and never scored less than 100%.
Lankford discussed the Certificate of Excellence in Assessment Administration (CEAA) received from International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) and indicated that the District was up for renewal in 2025.
Lankford announced that in the opposite year of the MAP Review, the Comptroller conducts a Property Value Study (PVS). They study the District’s values to ensure they are between 95% to 105% of market value.
Community Care Fundraising
Lankford mentioned the Community Care fundraising that is done at the District throughout the year. The funds collected are then distributed back to the community at the end of each year. Chris Connelly, the District’s Deputy Chief Appraiser, announced that this month’s committee was hosting a soup making competition, which would include tasting and voting, on February 29th.
WCAD Entity Meeting
Lankford asked the Board to mark their calendars for Tuesday, April 2nd for the District’s annual Entity Meeting. He indicated that an overview on values, along with other useful information would be shared with the District’s taxing units at this meeting. He announced that the information presented would then be shared with those in attendance. It was also mentioned that this information could be included on the District’s website in the Taxing Unit Portal for public access.
Family Events for Employees & Board Members Reminder
Lankford discussed the Employee Recognition Committee (ERS) and indicated that this committee works to recognize events in fellow employee’s lives. He indicated that, since the District is not allowed to utilize public funds to recognize these events like weddings and funerals; District employees contribute to this fund. The contribution rate for 2024 is $25. Lankford displayed the graphs showing the funds and uses of these funds. He invited the Board to participate in helping to fund these recognitions and expressed his appreciation for participation.
Lawsuit, Arbitration and SOAH Reports
Lankford reviewed the lawsuit, binding arbitration and SOAH reports. There were no State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) on which to report. He reminded the Board that the full lawsuit report is provided to them quarterly. He announced that the District had over 700 lawsuits for the year 2023. He indicated that, in the future budget, a litigation team would be created. Lankford reviewed the arbitration process.
Board Agenda Additions for Future Meeting
There were no agenda additions discussed for future meetings.
Board Announcements
There were no Board announcements.
The Board set the following meeting dates:
- February 22, 2024 at 9:00 AM. This meeting was set in case there was a need to cancel the public Board Election
- Thursday, March 14, 2024 at 9:00 AM
- Thursday, April 11, 2024 at 9:00 AM
- Thursday, May 9, 2024 at 8:00 AM
- Thursday, June 13, 2024 at 9:00 AM