Tarrant Appraisal District names new chief appraiser to help get agency back on track
FORT WORTH - After a year that saw the top leaders at the Tarrant Appraisal District ousted over concerns of trust and transparency, the district's board announced Thursday it's turning to the chief appraiser in McClennan County to get the agency back on track.
Joe Don Bobbitt will take over the chief appraiser role in February, becoming the top executive of the organization that determines property values used to decide property tax rates.
Bobbitt, an Army veteran who advanced to the top position in McClennan County over a 13-year career there, said TAD is still respected across the state, but he looked forward to working to regain public trust.
"It takes basically showing people you're honest, and committed, and you're not trying to hide something behind the scenes," he said.
Bobbitt takes over a role vacated by former chief appraiser Jeff Law, who resigned in September following votes of no confidence from city councils in Keller, Southlake and Colleyville, and from Tarrant County Commissioners.
The votes happened after the district fired IT director Cal Wood, who was recorded in a meeting telling staff he was ok with "distancing the truth from the media," related to problems with the district's website.
In February, TAD's board chair Kathryn Wilemon resigned after taxing entities started a recall effort, also related to scrutiny of Law's executive leadership.
IT security issues will likely be one of the top tasks for Bobbitt when he takes over, with an attorney for TAD revealing Thursday that a forensic analysis showed two different pieces of malicious software were placed on the agency's computer system in early 2022.
However, both pieces of malware failed when they launched, and Matthew Tepper said no evidence was found that any personal data of property owners was accessed. There's no guarantee it was not accessed though and a continued scan of the dark web for details may be necessary.
Board members maintained they were never informed of the full extent of the vulnerabilities, until the last few months when an internal investigation was launched.
Board member Rich DeOtte said as part of the interview process for a new chief appraiser, the board presented candidates with scenarios, including what they would do if there was a ransomware attack. He described Bobbitt as performing beyond expectations and said he was certain if something similar was to actually happen, the board wouldn't be kept in the dark about it.
"At this point, truth and transparency, are the goal at TAD," DeOtte said.