The Scurry County Appraisal District (SCAD) board of directors will discuss, in closed session, the executive director’s position during a special meeting Tuesday.
During a meeting this week between SCAD officials and the taxing entities that filed a lawsuit against SCAD, local officials said they did not like how SCAD posted an Aug. 7 agenda dealing with personnel that led to the hiring of John Stewart as the next chief appraiser.
During the meeting among SCAD and local officials, Stewart said that if the board did not correctly hire him, he wanted to make sure it was done correctly.
Tuesday’s agenda states the board will enter closed session for personnel matters, “including but not limited to consideration of hiring a new chief appraiser and posting of the chief appraiser job opening and consideration of appointing an interim chief appraiser.”
Taxing entity officials said the posting was a violation of the Texas Opening Meeting Act because the Aug. 7 posting did not specify which personnel position was being discussed in closed session.
“I am willing to have the position posted. I want to do what is right for the taxpayers,” Stewart said.
The closed session will also include a discussion with the board’s attorney regarding pending litigation with the taxing entities. Chief Appraiser Larry Crooks said he has provided his board members with the proposal to taxing entities to help settle a dispute in Kinder Morgan mineral values.
Any action from the closed sessions will be taken in open session.
Tuesday’s agenda also includes the board voting to request bids for a mineral industrial appraisal contractor.
Taxing entities have been upset that Thomas Y. Pickett and Company have been retained by SCAD after an $84 million clerical input error was discovered by the Comptroller’s office in 2016.
During this week’s board meeting, Crooks reviewed a cost survey of six other counties that use a mineral appraisal firm. Scurry County pays Pickett $109,000 each year to perform mineral appraisals and to maintain the ownership of those mineral records. The other counties pay between $118,000 and $320,000 for the service.
Crooks said during this week’s meeting that five of the nine taxing entities that fund SCAD said they did not want to change firms. Crooks said Ira ISD, Hermleigh ISD, City of Snyder, Roscoe Collegiate ISD and Colorado ISD responded that they did not want to change.
Scurry County, Snyder ISD, Western Texas College and Scurry County Hospital District — the four taxing entities that filed a lawsuit against SCAD — did not respond to Crooks’ survey.
Crooks told the board that one company said a switch in appraisers should begin in October.
Stewart is also scheduled to give the board a legislative update during the meeting, which will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the appraisal district office. The meeting is open to the public and a time has been set aside for the public to comment on SCAD activities.