Litigation, the chief appraiser position and the 2019 budget will all be discussed during Tuesday’s Scurry County Appraisal District (SCAD) board of director’s meeting.
The board is scheduled to go into closed session to discuss the hiring of a new chief appraiser, posting the chief appraiser job opening and the appointment of an interim chief appraiser. The agenda stated the closed session will also include a discussion with the district’s attorney concerning litigation filed by four taxing entities over Kinder Morgan’s mineral values.
When the board reconvenes in open session, it is scheduled to vote on advertising the chief appraiser position and naming an interim chief appraiser to serve after Larry Crooks retires at the end of the month. Last week, Senior Appraiser John Stewart, who was named Crooks’ replacement last month, turned down the position.
Representatives from the taxing entities that filed a lawsuit against the district said the board violated the Texas Open Meetings Act by not posting more details for the closed session on Aug. 7 when they originally named a chief appraiser. The entities that filed the lawsuit were Scurry County, Snyder ISD, Western Texas College and Scurry County Hospital District.
Crooks will also discuss, in open session, the litigation and discovery requests made in the lawsuit. The entities are seeking all information used to determine Kinder Morgan’s mineral values. The company has noted that the operating expenses used in the determination are confidential.
Crooks will also update the board on how much has been spent on the litigation to date. The district had spent more than $22,000 on the litigation.
Directors will also vote on the 2019 budget, which totals more than $1.152 million, an increase of $37,678 compared to 2018. The major increase is $35,000 to be paid to Thomas Y. Pickett and Company to maintain the district’s appraised value system online.
The bulk of the district’s expenses are salaries at $546,319, down from the current budget of $561,496.
The board will also hear an update on the mineral appraisal contractor bid requests. Last week, directors voted to seek bids for the mineral appraisal contract, which has been held by Pickett since the 1980s.
SCAD pays Pickett $109,000 each year to perform mineral appraisals and to maintain the ownership of those mineral records. Appraisal districts in a survey by Crooks pay between $118,000 and $320,000 for the service.
Other updates will include the workload of district employees and a property value study update.
Tuesday’s meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the appraisal district office and is open to the public. A time has been set aside for the public to comment on appraisal district activities.
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