EMSISD board nominates two to Tarrant Appraisal District after public comments on appraisal policies

The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District Board of Trustees voted unanimously Monday to nominate Wendy Burgess and Eric Scribe for consideration by the Tarrant Appraisal District board of directors. The board adopted a resolution nominating the two by a 5-0 vote.

The action followed public comments from two residents who urged the board to pay attention to TAD governance and appraisal practices. Eric Crile, who said he has participated in the TAD appointment process before, criticized a districtwide market-value freeze implemented by TAD and urged local officials to resist policies that he said interfere with local tax-rate decisions. “TAD instituted a market value freeze on all existing residential properties and will not reappraise until 2027,” Crile said, arguing that the freeze had locked values at the market peak and shifted tax-rate decisions to local taxing entities.

Daniel Bennett, another longtime attendee of TAD discussions, urged board members to nominate people with Appraisal Review Board (ARB) experience. He singled out a candidate he said had ARB background and sought the district’s nomination: “She not only has read the property tax code, understands being an ARB member, she knows what it takes to represent the public in a fair and balanced manner,” Bennett said of that candidate during public comment.

Board members then considered nominations during the action-items portion of the meeting. A trustee moved the resolution to nominate Wendy Burgess and Eric Scribe to be considered for appointment to the Tarrant Appraisal District Board of Directors; the motion was seconded and carried 5-0.

The board did not adopt any binding directives to TAD, nor did it make decisions about tax rates or ARB composition; the resolution nominates the two individuals to be considered by the appraisal district board. The district’s vote is one of several entity nominations that TAD considers when forming its board and ARB appointment processes.

Background context offered during public comment: Crile and Bennett said TAD’s market-value freeze contributed to disparity between current sales-based market values and frozen taxable values, and both urged local officials to ensure nomination of appointees with ARB experience. Bennett said some nominees lack ARB experience and advocated for a candidate he described as experienced in ARB procedures and governance.

The resolution and the public comments are part of the public record from the board’s Sept. 22 regular meeting. The board’s nomination will be forwarded to the Tarrant Appraisal District for consideration under its appointment process.