Voters for Good Government

As part of an effort to help the city in getting feedback on 1/8 cent sales tax options we conducted a poll at the end of last month. The results of that poll are as follows.

1. Improvements to American Bank Center: 71.48% Against 28.52% For.

2. Improvements to Harbor Playhouse, Museum of Science and History, and Art Museum of South Texas: 63.21% Against 36.79% For.

3. Citywide Storm and Flood Protection Improvements: 39.85% Against 60.15% For.

4. Regional Park Improvements: 71.65% Against 28.35% For.

5. Street Improvements 38.08% Against 61.92% For.

6. Scholarships for job training for in-demand and well-paying local jobs. 74.21% Against 25.79% For.

The margin of error is 6% and it is a poll of registered voters in Corpus Christi. Poll was conducted by both phone call and text.

There is a final community input session this evening at 6pm at Seashore Learning Center Middle School Cafeteria on the Island.

Council has an agenda item for tomorrow to discuss sales tax reauthorization. In the packet the current proposals are for two separate 1/8 sales taxes that are

1. "infrastructure improvement projects pertaining to City-wide drainage, stormwater, and coastal resiliency, including the seawall," and

2. " infrastructure improvement projects pertaining to City-wide
commercial and industrial streets, military facilities which create or retain primary jobs, and the city owned facilities within the [SEA District/qualified project]"

From our polling it appears that item 1 would pass and item 2 would not unless a sizable portion is assigned to streets. Prop A last Fall similarly had a portion devoted to streets but was unable to offset voter antagonism against using sales tax to support the Convention Center Complex.

We did not poll military facilities as that idea was not floated until after our poll was in regulatory approval for the texting system we used.

There is a city survey out as well that will be open until June 23rd. While not scientific if you want to provide input it is available here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/395VHZ3?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3Y8pUjDio_As_VLHppNe3_hyOJcxZpEMc3DtY9vVYka90sKmd3p5mOiU8_aem_ZmFrZWR1bW15MTZieXRlcw

Sales Tax Reauthorization Survey Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

Tonight at 6 at Ethel Eyerly is another bond and sales tax information and listening session. I have heard they are adding the possibility of a 1/8 cent sales tax for existing streets and sidewalks to the presentation and a number of Council Members are leaning towards 1/8 cents for that and 1/8 cent for storm and flood protection. So go if you would like to heard on the issue!

Attended both the council workshop on the sales tax and the first outreach meeting about it. At both there much discussion about streets.

A friend sent along to me the following statute which I’ve passed along to the city.

One of the issues with a 4a/b sales tax for streets is you can’t use it for residential streets. However a 327 sales tax for streets can be used for maintenance and repairs to any existing street or sidewalk. It must be reauthorized every 4, 8, or 10 years to continue. The downside or upside depending on your point of view is that you cannot split it. The whole tax in 1/8th increments can only be used for streets.

TAX CODE CHAPTER 327. MUNICIPAL SALES AND USE TAX FOR STREET MAINTENANCE Sec. 327.001. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "municipal street" means the entire width of a way held by a municipality in fee or by easement or dedication that has a part open for public use for vehicular travel. The term does not include a designated state or federal highway or road or a designated c...

City of Corpus Christi | City Council Workshop Sales Tax Venue Renewal May 8, 2024 City of Corpus Christi | City Council Workshop Sales Tax Venue Renewal May 8, 2024For More Information Visit: https://www.cctexas.com

As part of an effort to inform the public about candidate positions, we created and sent a candidate questionnaire to all appraisal district candidates. Below is our reply from Shirley Madej a former Nueces and San Patricio County appraisal district staff member and candidate for Place 3. Early voting is April 22nd-26th, 29th, and 30th. Election Day is May 4th.

Name: Shirley “Mayday” Madej Place Sought: 3

1. Why are you running for appraisal district board?

A:I retired recently from this industry and was excited when the Legislators created these three positions. Now someone, other than an appointed member, could be on the Board of Directors (BOD) that was voted for the people, by the people of Nueces County.

2. What experience do you have that is relevant to being an appraisal district board member?

A: I have worked in this industry for 39 plus years from the Tax Office to the Appraisal District. Started in 1983 at the Nueces County Tax Office receiving and posting tax payments and then in 1984 was hired at Nueces County Appraisal District working as a clerk, to an Appraiser (RPA), to the manager of Market Analysis Department. I continued my education receiving the Certified Tax Assessor (CTA) designation. In 2017, I became Assistant Chief Appraiser in San Patricio County where I was involved in all aspects of an Appraisal District operation. I worked closely with the Board of Directors in creating and setting of the budget, policies and implementing any legislative changes. I was heavily involved in communications between the entities and the Appraisal District with procedures and values for all types of properties. When the Comptrollers Office made many changes as to their way of appraising commercial properties, I was involved and fought at the state level keeping the school District from loosing state funding in the three districts in San Patricio County that had failed the property study. My experience gave the knowledge of not only the Appraisal District but also the requirement and expatiations of what is required of a Board of Director Member.

3. What do you view as the role of the appraisal district board?

A: The BOD is responsible for appointing the Chief Appraiser, adopt the districts budget, appoint the Appraisal Review Board Member, hiring of the Taxpayers Liaison Officer, and make sure the Appraisal District follows policies and procedures required by law according to Texas Property Tax Code and Texas Property Laws. I also believe they can and should be the “Liaison Officer” for the entities as well as the voice of the taxpayers. The BOD cannot tell the Chief Appraiser how to appraise but can communicate with the Taxpayers and entities of upcoming implication as to what the values can do to the tax rates.

4. Over the last five years the number of taxpayer’s appeals has doubled and lawsuits have quintupled. Do you feel this is a problem? If so what do you view the role of the board is in solving it?

A:My answer to this is Yes and No. “YES” since it does not promote good taxpayer relations between the Appraisal District and the taxpayers. But on the other hand “NO” because anytime you have the market, especially when it fluctuates so drastically and so fast, this will cause an abundance of protest. I have had this happen at least three times within my years of experience with the market going up and down. If this is not happening the Appraisal District is not doing their job. If the market is increasing on the Residential properties so will the Commercial properties. The truth of the fact is the Commercial properties, especially the high dollar properties have the resources to litigate. I do not blame the property owners for protesting but this is the system we have which is based on current Market Values. The Legislators, by passing laws, are the only ones that can control some of this. Which they have by passing a law that regulates the Homestead properties by a limit of 10% assessed valuation increase and increased the School District homestead state mandate exemption. The have also recently passed all other real property less than 5M by a limit increase of a 20% valuation. The BOD does not have any authority in setting these limitations other than making sure the Appraisal District implements the new laws timely.

5. Last year an issue arose in which high increases in values to a small number of properties and their appeal of those values led to significant budget cuts for several local governments. What is your view of this issue?

A:The Chief must appraise all properties based on current market values. Which means the high dollar accounts will need to be adjusted if needed as well as the smaller value account. If he/she has information that would cause those values to jump up in value, he/she must adjust those accounts. This is a critical time so the Chief must be in communication with the entities often. There is a currently a law in place that the tax office can use called the “Lower Value” when setting the tax rates. The entities can also hold back from spending those monies incase the values are lowered significantly at a later time in a lawsuit. So my view as an Appraiser, I would have no choice to appraise it based on the information I have at the time. My view as a taxpayer, I would want to somehow compromise because it does cause lots of issues which could mean loss of jobs and/or services that the community needs.


6. If there is an issue which will significantly affect the operations and budget of local taxing entity what do you believe is the Appraisal District’s responsibility in informing both the taxing entity and the citizens of the community? Are there circumstances where that information should not be disclosed publicly?

A:The Chief Appraiser is required to submit preliminary appraisal numbers to the entities by April 30th. The Chief and the Entities should be in constant communication during this time of the appraisal process. The Chief can only give his/her estimate of value changes based on categories and should be communicating that to the entities as well. The Chief and the BOD should always communicate all information to the entities and the citizens, unless an issue was discussed under “Closed Sessions”. Those are confidential and cannot be disclosed.

7. Do you believe the budget for the appraisal district should grow slower, at the same rate, or faster than the tax revenue for the governments who fund it? Alternatively, do you believe the budget needs to be cut? Why?

A:I could not answer this question until I have had a chance to review and question the District as to why they needed to increase their budget especially during a time when everyone else has to lower or sustain the budget they had the year before. There could be many reasons as to why the District had to increase such as, to abide by the Laws that were recently passed, cost of software, cost of completive or competent employees to do the quality of work that taxpayers expect. One new Legislative change that required to District to fulfill, for instance, the reason we are right now. The cost to have this special election which is paid from the Appraisal District budget. That is just a few possibilities. I do believe that the Chief needs to justify the budget at all times.

8. Last year when many local governments had to cut their budgets, staff and/or not give their employees pay increases the appraisal district staff proposed a double digit percentage in their budget. Do you believe this was appropriate?

A:As mentioned above anytime the Appraisal District feels they needed to increase their budget, it must be justified. These last few years have been difficult. The cost of everything has increased in all categories not just staff. Do I believe that any increase is appropriate during hard times? No, but understand as to why they had to. I can only answer as to why we also had to give staff an increase in San Patricio. We could not keep staff. So it was either pay more to keep what you have already, or spend more money to rehire new, educate and train during a time when taxpayers expect a competent employee.

9. The comptroller has the responsibility under state law to set targets for aggregate values of all property in each county. In the past Appraisal District staff has blamed this for high increases in values unsupported by sales data or in the case of income producing property, appraisal or actual income. Property owners have provided information at various times disproving their calculations and estimates. Do you believe the appraisal district board and staff have a duty to push back against overvaluation by the Comptroller by providing more accurate data or is their duty to continue to do what they are told?

A:The Appraisal District should never be controlled by the Comptroller’s office as to the values that are set. The issue here is when it comes to income producing properties the valuations is based on the word “typical income” for that type of income producing property, not the individual income of that specific property. The more the District can gather income information, the better they can fight the Comptroller’s valuations if the district fails a property value study. The other issue is the Appraisal District cannot fight the Comptroller property value study unless the entity decides to. The district will then represent the entity in fighting the values.

10. Commercial property owners have reported wide discrepancies in the expense allowances for common maintenance expenses like insurance, roofing repair, parking lot repair, and air conditioning replacement. This appears to be the result of the district assuming these costs are fixed at a percentage of income rather than standard costs based on age and size of a property. Do you believe in the current one size fits all approach of do you believe income property should be valued at what its income actually is? How would you address this issue as a board member?

A:The State of Texas is required to use “Mass Appraisal” valuations with all types of properties. As mentioned above, valuations are not done by individual income, but what is “Typical” using square footage and condition as the bases for individual characteristic. As frustrating it may be, Districts are required to follow the law in place whether I agree or not. The BOD’s responsibility is to insure the Appraisal District applies the laws in place.

11. Are you satisfied with the present management of the Appraisal District? Why or why not?

A:I worked under Mr. Canales for 5 of my 39 years and felt he was the best man for the job. With his knowledge of the tax system (both Tax Office and as an Appraiser) he was the right man for the job. I always say, don’t judge someone till you have been in their shoes. I did have the opportunity to be in his shoes, as an Appraiser and as an Assistant Chief. Most people don’t understand the system and no one likes to pay taxes. It is tough to justify appraisal values, especially upwards during hard times when the market just keeps going up and up.

12. Some larger counties have Appraisal Review Boards for larger or higher value properties whose members have to possess higher levels of professional financial education. Do you support the creation of such an ARB in Corpus Christi?

A:You bet, anytime you can get someone on Appraisal Review Board that has a higher financial education the better the ARB will be.

13. Changes to the state law that created these elected positions also mean that not every taxing entity will have direct representation on the board as they do now. How will you as and elected board member preserve or enhance communication with taxing entities and the public?

A:I believe this will enhance a better representation to all. There will be a voice from the people as well as the representative that are appointed by the entity. I will be that voice thru transparency.

14. What other issues or positions do you want to inform the voters of in regard to you candidacy?

A:As mentioned before, I worked 39 years as a public servant. In all my years, I did not take this lightly. I took pride in putting myself in the shoes of the property owners while implementing the Laws. I would always ask property owners, don’t just complain, but give me something that I could apply while staying within the guidelines that were given as a Tax Appraiser. You might not always walk away getting your way but at least you had a voice and if I could, I would have. I plan to be the same way as a Board Member. I will speak up and be your voice. I will make sure that the laws are implemented. I will make sure your tax dollar money is spent wisely and justified within the best of my ability. Please vote for me as your Nueces County Appraisal District Board Member Place 3.

As part of an effort to inform the public about candidate positions, we created and sent a candidate questionnaire to all appraisal district candidates. Below is our reply from Tony Alcoser candidate for Place 1. Early voting is April 22nd-26th, 29th, and 30th. Election Day is May 4th.

Name: Tony Alcoser Place Sought: Place 1

1. Why are you running for appraisal district board?
A: Over the past few years, the Nueces County Appraisal District has caused a large amount of frustration for all property owners with significant and unjustified year over year appraisal increases. Last year was a tipping point and it’s time for new leadership at our appraisal district.

2. What experience do you have that is relevant to being an appraisal district board member?
A: I have been a long-standing property and business owner in Nueces County. I am also active in our community and know the impact our property values have on encouraging community growth.

3. What do you view as the role of the appraisal district board?
A: The role of the appraisal district board is to oversee/govern the appraisal district leadership.

4. Over the last five years the number of taxpayer appeals has doubled and lawsuits have quintupled. Do you feel this is a problem? If so what do you view the role of the board is in solving it?
A: Texas law, thankfully, guarantees all property owners the right to appeal the appraisal district’s appraisal of their property, but it’s obvious we have a problem in Nueces County when the number of appeals and lawsuits has gone up at this rate. Gradual increases, on occasion, can be justified. 20, 30 and in some cases well over 100% in increases in value year over year is ridiculous. Nueces County has long been a desirable community to live and work in because it’s affordable, but that has been changing. The actions of the current leadership at NCAD is reckless and is costing all of us.
We should all be asking why there has been this significant of an increase in lawsuits over property values as well as the outcomes of these lawsuits?

5. Last year an issue arose in which high increases in values to a small number of properties and their appeal of those values led to significant budget cuts for several local governments. What is your view of this issue?
A: This is a great example of why we need a leadership change at the Nueces County Appraisal District. It’s my understanding that NCAD hired a new consultant to conduct the appraisals for these properties in question resulting in significant and unjustified increases of 400 to 600%. It’s also my understanding that leadership at NCAD didn’t seem to realize what these value increases would mean for various taxing entities’ tax rates. How do we have a chief appraiser for a county our size who doesn’t seem to know general tax rules?

6. If there is an issue which will significantly affect the operations and budget of local taxing entity that you believe is the Appraisal District’s responsibility in informing both the taxing entity and the citizens of the community? Are there circumstances where that information should not be disclosed publicly?
A: Yes. It’s imperative that citizens and the taxing entities have a clear understanding of what is happening and why.

7. Do you believe the budget for the appraisal district should grow slower, at the same rate, or faster than the tax revenue for the governments who fund it? Alternatively, do you believe the budget needs to be cut? Why?
A: I definitely don’t believe that when all of the other entities who fund it are having to cut their budgets that NCAD should be increasing its budget, proposing pay increases for staff as well as a remodel of its building, which is what happened last year.

8. Last year when many local governments had to cut their budgets, staff and/or not give their employees pay increases the appraisal district staff proposed a double digit percentage increase in their budget. Do you believe this was appropriate?
A: NO. I was shocked the chief appraiser would even consider making that proposal.

9. The Comptroller has the responsibility under state law to set targets for aggregate values of all property in each county. In the past Appraisal District staff have blamed this for high increases in values unsupported by sales data or in the case of income producing property appraisals or actual income. Property owners have provided information at various times disproving their calculations and estimates. Do you believe the appraisal district board and staff have a duty to push back against overvaluation by the Comptroller by providing more accurate data or is their duty to continue to do what they are told?
A: Yes. Absolutely.

10. Commercial property owners have reported wide discrepancies in the expense allowances for common maintenance expenses like insurance, roofing repair, parking lot repair, and air conditioning replacement. This appears to be the result of the district assuming these costs are fixed at a percentage of income rather than standard costs based on age and size of a property. Do you believe in the current one size fits all approach or do you believe income property should be valued at what it’s income actually is? How would you address this issue as a board member?

A: I believe a variety of factors should be reasonably considered when appraising property and that values should be equal and fair. From an income standpoint, I’ve never seen my property appraisal go down, it only seems to increase. During COVID, many businesses were hurting and their balance sheets were covered in red, but our local property values didn’t significantly reduce. They’ve only continued to increase.

11. Are you satisfied with the present management of the Appraisal District? Why or why not?
A: No. Change is needed.

12. Some larger counties have Appraisal Review Boards for larger or higher value properties whose members have to possess higher levels of professional financial education. Do you support the creation of such an ARB in Corpus Christi?
A: Yes, and hopefully we can find qualified people who will participate. We need people who understand how property appraisals should appropriate and reasonably be decided, not those who want to rubber stamp what the chief appraiser is requesting.

13. Changes to the state law that created these elected positions also mean that not every taxing entity will have direct representation on the board as they do now. How will you as an elected board member preserve or enhance communication with taxing entities and the public?
A: I look forward to serving the people of Nueces County, the entire county, not just one segment. We all deserve better and I hope to help bring stability and additional transparency to how the Nueces County Appraisal District is conducting business. I love this community and want to see it continue to grow and thrive.

The City has scheduled joint meetings for public feedback on both a new sales tax reauthorization election and this year's bond package. Each meeting will begin at 6pm. The locations are:

May 6: Northwest Senior Center, 9725 Up River Rd.
May 8: Lindale Senior Center, 3135 Swantner Dr.
May 9: Veterans Memorial High School, 3750 Cimarron Blvd.
May 13: Ethel Eyerly Senior Center, 654 Graham Rd.
May 15: Corpus Christi Water building, Choke Canyon Room, 2726 Holly Road

This is a opportunity to give input and we highly recommend taking it. Additionally the city has been having meetings with groups to get feedback and project recommendations. If you have a group you would like them to come to please let us know in the comments and we will requests they come and hear your ideas.

Feedback we have heard from various groups thus far is that the general idea of the Seawall reauthorization is good but there is concern that the plan to reauthorize the Arena tax to just benefit the area around the convention center lacks citywide appeal. Ideas for citywide appeal have been adding human capital funding(workforce education scholarships) and also having construction projects in other parts of the city.

None of these are guarantees they will listen to requests but it is a sign they are open to hearing us, which is what we fought for last November.

As part of an effort to inform the public about candidate positions, we created and sent a candidate questionnaire to all appraisal district candidates. Below is our reply from Butch Poole a local business owner and former CCISD appointee to the appraisal district board and candidate for Place 2. Early voting is April 22nd-26th, 29th, and 30th. Election Day is May 4th.

Name: Butch Pool Place Sought: Place 2

1.Why are you running for appraisal district board?
A:I have served on the board in the past for a taxing entity. It was tough to weigh the needs of the entity against those of the taxpayer. I was very excited when the legislature created the three positions that would represent only taxpayers. This is long overdue. I feel my business background and previous service on the board will be very advantageous to the taxpayers of Nueces County.

2.What experience do you have that is relevant to being an appraisal district board member?
A:Foremost, I am a property owner in Nueces County; residential, commercial, and industrial.
I am also the owner of several retail and wholesale businesses involved in national and international trade. I negotiate daily with fortune 500 corporations, and I am keenly aware of the role taxation plays in keeping local businesses competitive.
I have served on the Board of Directors for the Appraisal District and have seen firsthand the issues a taxpayer faces when disputing a valuation. As a board member, we adopted the year’s budget and oversaw ARB issues with recommendations for action. My goals were to increase transparency and modernization of the district. Unfortunately, in the past, the only members of the board were representatives of the taxing entities. I felt this was an inherently conflicting arrangement.

3. What do you view as the role of the appraisal district board?
A:The primary responsibility of the board of directors is to oversee the Chief Appraiser and the operations of the appraisal district. This includes but is not limited to taxpayer and taxing entities relations, adopt the CAD annual budget, resolve ARB issues with recommendation for action and communication with elected state officials. Monthly meetings held at a minimum with additional meetings as necessary.

4. Over the last five years the number of taxpayer appeals has doubled, and lawsuits have quintupled. Do you feel this is a problem? If so, what do you view the role of the board is in solving it?
A:Increased appeals and lawsuits is a huge problem for two reasons, the first is obvious as there is an ever increasing disconnect between the district valuations and the taxpayer valuations. The second is the amount of money required to litigate these lawsuits which has also risen exponentially.
As someone who has had to file a lawsuit against the district, I know how difficult it is to get a reasonable valuation negotiated directly with the district. After a third-party arbitrator ruled 100% in my favor, I realized I had to work to change the system. This is why I accepted the board position representing CCISD.

5. Last year an issue arose in which high increases in values to a small number of properties and their appeal of those values led to significant budget cuts for several local governments. What is your view of this issue?
A: This has been going on for over six years. It is a double edge sword. The goal of the district should be to fairly value ALL properties in the county. If some are valued unfairly low because of lack of expertise during the appraisal process it places the tax burden on the remainder of the property owners in the district. It also causes the taxing entities to have to raise their tax rates to cover the budgets they have set.
Unfortunately, once the valuation has been set by outside experts and is found to be significantly higher, instead of a windfall for the taxing entities, and all other taxpayers, it turns into a nightmare while the litigation process runs its course which can last for years.
We must demand change from the State. The way current law is written the state uses the certified roll even when the disputed tax dollars are not collected thus creating a shortfall. The only fix is to adopt a modified roll that excludes disputed valuation amounts. Also, the time to settle disputes should have a limit as well. Allowing lawyers to drag cases on for years costing the taxpayers millions of dollars.

6. If there is an issue which will significantly affect the operations and budget of local taxing entity, what do you believe is the Appraisal District’s responsibility in informing both the taxing entity and the citizens of the community? Are there circumstances where that information should not be disclosed publicly?
A: The district should absolutely be required to keep the taxing entities informed of any situation that may cause them to see significant changes to their budget. If there is a shortfall, they will need to cut expenses and adjust accordingly. If there is a projected windfall, they should LOWER their tax rate!

7. Do you believe the budget for the appraisal district should grow slower, at the same rate, or faster than the tax revenue for the governments who fund it? Alternatively, do you believe the budget needs to be cut? Why?
A: I believe it should grow at the same rate. As the tax base increases the need for more resources and staff to operate at an expert level will be required. If you want to attract competent people you must pay a competitive wage. The current system of underpaying key appraiser positions will just perpetuate the problem. In the end this will save money due to fewer protests that result in expensive litigation.

8. Last year when many local governments had to cut their budgets, staff and/or not give their employees pay increases the appraisal district staff proposed a double-digit percentage increase in their budget. Do you believe this was appropriate?
A: No, and that is why I voted against it. The compromise in the end was a small cost of living allowance for the staff but not the Chief appraiser.

9. The Comptroller has the responsibility under state law to set targets for aggregate values of all property in each county. In the past Appraisal District staff have blamed this for high increases in values unsupported by sales data or in the case of income producing property, appraisals or actual income. Property owners have provided information at various times disproving their calculations and estimates. Do you believe the appraisal district board and staff have a duty to push back against overvaluation by the Comptroller by providing more accurate data or is their duty to continue to do what they are told?
A:Yes, they should push back and supply the data as back up. They should also work with the legislation to change the requirements.

10. Commercial property owners have reported wide discrepancies in the expense allowances for common maintenance expenses like insurance, roofing repair, parking lot repair, and air conditioning replacement. This appears to be the result of the district assuming these costs are fixed at a percentage of income rather than standard costs based on age and size of a property. Do you believe in the current one size fits all approach or do you believe income property should be valued at what it’s income actually is? How would you address this issue as a board member?
A: No two properties are the same, location, size, age, etc. all play rolls in determining value and a one size fits all formula won’t work. As someone who has had to replace entire electrical systems and roofs in the past few years, I am painfully aware the cost of materials and labor have more than doubled what they were just 3 years ago. Inflationary cost should always be part of a building’s valuation when yearly valuations are set. Again, money spent wisely on attracting talented, knowledgeable, educated appraisers will be well spent.

11. Are you satisfied with the present management of the Appraisal District? Why or why not?
A: As I mentioned before I had to sue the district because the valuation on a building, I had purchased a few years prior had almost quadrupled. I pride myself on being a savvy investor, but this was beyond what I could ever hope for. I showed the original purchase contract to the district and explained there had been little to no deferred maintenance repairs done and in fact there were more issues found with the building that would cost more than originally planned on. There were no adjustments made. I ultimately had to sue, and my valuation was granted to the penny by the arbitrator. I have heard like stories over and over from other taxpayers. The unwillingness to compromise and steadfast refusal to listen when faced with facts and overwhelming data is a culture that needs to be changed.
The one area I feel the district has begun to improve is the willingness to try and find experts in specific fields of industry to get accurate valuations of unique properties in our county. It has been politically unpopular but so far, the results have helped settle years of litigation and led to fairer valuations for both the taxpayer and the taxing entities.

12. Some larger counties have Appraisal Review Boards for larger or higher value properties whose members have to possess higher levels of professional financial education. Do you support the creation of such an ARB in Corpus Christi?
A: Yes.

13. Changes to the state law that created these elected positions also mean that not every taxing entity will have direct representation on the board as they do now. How will you as an elected board member preserve or enhance communication with taxing entities and the public?

A: I think it would be very important for any taxing entity that does not have a board seat to attend the board meetings. Board meeting agendas as well as pat minutes should be sent to the entities. In addition to monthly board meetings, the district and board members should aways be available to answer any concerns or questions they may have.

14. What other issues or positions do you want to inform the voters of in regard to your candidacy?
A: As a previous member of the board, I sometimes found myself at odds with the people who appointed me. On one hand I was their appointed representative but on the other I had taken an oath to ensure ALL taxpayers were treated equally. I always voted based on my oath. When the legislation created these positions, I was excited to find that finally the taxpayers would have a seat at the table and there would be no conflict of interest when doing the right thing for all.