Fort Worth council delays appraisal-district board appointment after residents raise vote-count concerns

The Fort Worth City Council on Oct. 28 voted to continue consideration of a proposed appointment to the appraisal district board after public commenters said vote-count problems in the 2024 appraisal-district election left outstanding questions.

Residents urged the council to postpone the appointment until results from a pending investigation are available. Daniel Bennett, a White Settlement resident, told the council it should "postpone your vote today until we get some results of whether your number you have today is correct." Lon Burnham, a long-time District 9 resident, urged caution: "Stop, slow down, don't make another mistake, don't rush to judgment." Reid Bills recommended Saeeda Syed for the TAD board, saying she "already possesses the knowledge of the TAD process, and her prior experience fully qualifies her to serve on the board." Charles Bills reiterated the call to delay and supported that recommendation.

Council Member Peoples moved to continue the TAD-related item to allow a special called TAD meeting on Nov. 3 to provide additional information; the motion passed. Council Member Blaylock announced she would recuse from votes on these items "out of an abundance of caution" because she serves on the TAD.

Speakers who addressed the item cited a reported overvote of about 200 votes in the 2024 cycle and said the city has one remaining meeting window to act under the property tax code if the plan requires a two-meeting process. A city staff member told the council the TAD had scheduled a special meeting on Nov. 3 that might resolve outstanding questions; the council chose to wait for that meeting before finalizing its appointment.

No formal appointment to the appraisal-district board was made at the Oct. 28 meeting; the TAD-related item was continued for later consideration.