Early voting is now open for the June 15th run off election for Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD) Board of Directors positions. This allows voters to elect three new seats to the appraisal district board to provide the public with an opportunity to represent their fellow taxpayers. Of the three new seats, one position has already been won by outright, but two remaining seats are still in the hands of voters.
Candidates in the run-off election include Kyle Scott for HCAD, At-Large Place 2 and Ericka McCrutcheon for HCAD, At-Large Place 3. These candidates offer the opportunity for taxpayers to have an objective voice in the valuation appeals process. These new positions have special authority. When two of the three newly elected members agree, they can remove appraisal board members who consistently exhibit bias. Further, these public board members will have a seat at the table to review information and participate in the decision-making process by interjecting the perspective of the public. One of the most notable responsibilities of the HCAD board is to hire and fire the chief appraiser.
Property owners may benefit from the knowledge that the seat already filled is now held by Kathy Blueford-Daniels who is not a newcomer to the board. She was already a board member, formerly representing the local tax entity, Houston Independent School District (HISD). With her ascension to the publicly elected position, the vacated slot will be backfilled by HISD with another representative sympathetic to the cause of the tax entity.
O’Connor encourages voters to leverage their power by electing Kyle Scott and Ericka McCrutcheon to represent taxpayers on the HCAD Board of Directors, providing residential and business property owners the same opportunity for representation as tax entities already enjoy.