Tomball council withdraws renomination for HCAD seat, appoints Paul Garcia to fill appraisal-board vacancy

The Tomball City Council on Sept. 15 elected to take no action on a pending resolution to renominate Melissa Noriega to the Harris County Appraisal District (HCAD) board after council members asked for more information about her prior votes and attendance at HCAD meetings. Staff said Noriega had earlier expressed a desire to be renominated, but the council withdrew the motion to allow time to obtain meeting minutes and voting records.

Separately, the council considered a second resolution to fill an unexpired HCAD board term left vacant by the resignation of Cassandra Bandy, effective July 31, 2025. Councilman Paul Garcia had expressed interest in that vacancy and was nominated under Resolution No. 2025-48; the motion to nominate Garcia carried 5-0. Staff told the council they had advertised the vacancy through the city’s usual channels and that no external applications were received besides Garcia’s stated interest.

During the discussion on Noriega’s renomination, councilmembers asked staff to collect minutes and any available records that would clarify how Noriega had voted while serving on HCAD. Council also noted filing deadlines for resolutions with the chief appraiser; staff cited an upcoming submission window in early October and a later-stated deadline of Oct. 15 for delivery to the chief appraiser, prompting council to conclude they could defer action on the renomination and request additional information.

The council’s action on the vacancy was recorded as a 5-0 vote to nominate Paul Garcia to fill the HCAD term. The record shows the council will receive additional materials on Noriega’s HCAD participation for possible future action.