KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — Two veteran appraisers will assist the Kaufman County Appraisal District (KCAD) through its transition phase and search for a new chief appraiser after the board voted to remove and later accepted the resignation of Chief Appraiser Chris Peace.
KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — Two veteran appraisers will assist the Kaufman County Appraisal District (KCAD) through its transition phase and search for a new chief appraiser after the board voted to remove and later accepted the resignation of Chief Appraiser Chris Peace.
On June 21, 2018, the board voted to relieve Peace of his duties, effective immediately, and accepted his resignation more than a week later as part of a severance agreement.
The board, following a closed door executive session last week, voted to appoint Ray Helm as the interim chief appraiser. In addition to Helm's appointment, the board hired longtime Smith County Chief Appraiser Michael Barnett as a consultant for six months.
The two will aid the district through its transition and its search for a new chief appraiser.
Helm, in speaking with the board, said a July 20th deadline to certify property values will be met.
Helm, of Terrell, Texas, retired from Rockwall County having served as its chief appraiser for more than 30 years.
The action comes quickly after the board had unanimously voted 5-0 to relieve former Chief Appraiser Chris Peace of all duties effective immediately on June 21. At the most recent meeting, the board overturned that decision and accepted Peace’s resignation.
As part of the resignation the board also agreed to a severance package. The board would not discuss the details of the settlement, however, it has been confirmed by numerous county officials that the deal includes a six month salary.
According to appraisal district board minutes, the Chief Appraiser position currently earns a salary of $103,000 a year. The board had previously proposed a $10,000 raise for the position in next year’s budget for consideration by the commissioner’s court that has not yet been approved.
Peace’s performance has been the center of contention since the state comptroller’s office found that property value in three school districts were below the state’s market value.
In their bi annual review of the appraisal district, the state found that appraisals in Kaufman, Scurry – Rosser and Kemp ISDs were too low, despite a hike in values from the previous year. Local values must be within five percent of the comptroller’s review in order to protect school funding.
Values for Terrell, Crandall and Mabank ISD were also warned that their values must come up to compliance in the next year, designating the current values in a grace period category.
Forney ISD had previously fallen out of line, but have maintained market values for the past two years.
In addition to appraisal issues, officials with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations have confirmed this week that they are currently investigating at least three anonymous complaints against Peace that allege “unethical behavior" as chief appraiser. Officials said the investigation was "ongoing" and could not provide a time table for further action.
