Tarrant Appraisal District to discuss chief appraiser’s fate following public outcry

Tarrant County’s chief appraiser could get fired Friday.

The Tarrant Appraisal District board of directors revised its Friday meeting agenda on Tuesday to add a discussion of whether to dismiss Chief Appraiser Jeff Law after it received scores of complaints accusing him of misconduct during public comment at its June 30 meeting.

The board initially planned to discuss the issue privately in executive session.

Law’s performance came into question after appraisal district employee Randy Armstrong launched a series of complaints with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation against Chandler Crouch, a Fort Worth Realtor who has helped tens of thousands of homeowners protest their property tax appraisals.

Law could not immediately reached for comment.

Armstrong accused Crouch of misrepresenting evidence before the district’s appraisal review board in order to secure lower property appraisals for his clients.

While Law insisted during a June 10 district board meeting he had no involvement in the complaints, Armstrong’s use of his district job title and contact information lead Crouch to question the agency’s involvement.

Crouch also said he reached out to Law about the complaints in November 2021, but it was never discussed publicly by the board until its May 13 meeting.

Law was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.

Hundred showed up to a June 30 district meeting to voice their support for Crouch overwhelming the district’s 14-person meeting room and forcing several to wait outside the building in 100 degree heat for hours.

They called for more transparency at the agency at a time when property values have skyrocketed and many have struggled to keep up.

Reacting to the news Wednesday, Crouch said he was excited by the board’s decision to discuss the matter publicly, and hoped it was “willing to seek the truth and do the right thing.”

He encouraged members of the public to show up in force to the board’s meeting Friday.

“And make sure that board of directors knows that people are watching,” he said.

The meeting will take place at 10 a.m. Friday at 2500 Handley-Ederville Road.