Tarrant’s top property tax appraiser is suspended after failing to notify board of complaints

The Tarrant Appraisal District Board of Directors voted to suspend Chief Appraiser Jeff Law after he failed to notify the board that one of his employees filed complaints against Chandler Crouch, a Tarrant County Realtor who helps people protest their property tax appraisers.

Only board member Rich DeOtte voted against the motion; he was the lone board member to support Law’s removal.

“Firing somebody is hard to do. But I’m there. I’m ready to do it,” said DeOtte.

But, as board member Tony Pompa noted, the board took Law’s prior performance into account. For example, Law has always submitted necessary information to Tax Collector-Assessor Wendy Burgess on time.

Randy Armstrong, who filed the complaints, has also been suspended without pay.

The decision follows a spectacle of a special meeting that took place on June 30, when hundreds showed to support Chandler Crouch. Because the meeting room could only fit 14 people, many were forced to wait outside, amplifying calls for transparency at the agency.

The meeting comes the day after Crouch received a letter from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation informing him the complaints against him had been dismissed for lack of evidence.