Taxpayer Liaison Officer/Complaint Procedures
The Function Of The Taxpayer Liaison Officer And How To File A Complaint
You may file a complaint involving any matter under the jurisdiction Board, which includes: operations of the District, the Board, or the ARB; or the actions of any of the following persons: the Chief Appraiser, District staff, a member of the Board, or a member of the ARB. Matters outside the jurisdiction of the Board include: property valuations, exemptions, or any other matter that may be protested to the ARB.
Additionally, a property owner or the chief appraiser may file a complaint with the TLO alleging that the ARB has adopted or implemented hearings procedures that are not in compliance with the Comptroller’s model hearings, or the ARB is not complying with the procedural requirements under Chapter 41 of the Property Tax Code.
Any complaint requiring action by the Board must be filed through the Taxpayer Liaison Officer (TLO). The TLO is appointed by the Board and acts as an intermediary between the taxpayer and the Board. The TLO is Carrie Belknap.
In order to file a complaint, the necessary steps must be taken:
- File a written complaint with the TLO. The complaint should adequately describe the situation, the person(s) involved, and the action(s) the complainant would like the Board to take concerning the complaint.
- The TLO will research each complaint for all possible remedies. If the TLO and the complainant are able to resolve the problem, the TLO will then report the problem and its resolution in the informational report to the Board at their next regular scheduled meeting. If the TLO and the complainant are not able to resolve the problem, the TLO will place the complaint as an action item on the agenda for the next regular scheduled meeting of the Board of Directors.
- In order for an unresolved complaint to be placed as an action item on the Board’s agenda, adequate time must be given to notify all parties involved in the complaint and to allow proper time to comply with the Open Meetings Act.
- A complainant must further outline any special assistance or arrangements required in order to make a presentation to the Board, such as translators for non-english speaking or deaf persons, or special needs for a person having any physical, mental, or development disability.
- If a complainant has an impairment and cannot present the complaint in writing, the complaint will be recorded and played for the Board in lieu of the written complaint.
- If an unresolved complaint involves a District employee, including the Chief Appraiser, the employee will be notified of the complaint and must submit a written response to be presented along with the complaint at the next regular scheduled meeting of the Board of Directors.
While a complaint is under investigation, the TLO will report on the status of the complaint to both the complainant and the Board at their monthly meetings until the complaint is resolved and presented to the Board, unless notification would jeopardize an investigation.
PLEASE REMEMBER, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS DOES NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE APPRAISAL PROCESS. IF YOU HAVE A COMPLAINT CONCERNING THE APPRAISAL OF YOUR PROPERTY, THIS MATTER DOES NOT FALL UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE BOARD. PROPERTY VALUATIONS AND EXEMPTIONS CONCERNS MUST BE PROTESTED TO THE ARB.
CLICK HERE for a copy of the Taxpayer Information Pamphlet and Complaint Procedure