[00:00:40] DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS DEBBIE CARTWRIGHT. I'M THE VICE CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. OUR [1. Call to Order] CHAIRMAN, JAMES VALADEZ, HAS RESIGNED FROM THE BOARD. I AM HEARTBROKEN. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE REST OF YOU BUT BUT I'M GOING TO MISS HIM VERY MUCH. WE HAVE A LETTER, RESIGNATION LETTER THAT MADE HIS CHANGE EFFECTIVE ON DECEMBER 31 OF LAST YEAR. HE IS EXPRESSES IN HIS LETTER THAT HE'S GOING TO WORK AS THE DIRECTOR OF REAL ESTATE AND ASSET MANAGEMENT WITH AUSTIN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND AS AN EMPLOYEE OF AN OF A TAXING UNIT, HE CANNOT BE A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ACCORDING TO LAW. SO HE DOES SAY IN HIS LETTER, AND THAT HE IS THAT HE APPRECIATES WORKING ALONGSIDE ALL OF US, WHICH IS WAS VERY NICE TO SAY, AND THAT IT'S BEEN A PRIVILEGE TO SERVE ON THIS BOARD, AND IT CERTAINLY HAS BEEN A PRIVILEGE FOR ME TO SERVE WITH HIM. HE'S BEEN A FINE EXAMPLE OF A PUBLIC SERVANT AND A WONDERFUL PRESIDING OFFICER. SO HE'S GOING TO BE MISSED. THE TIME IS 11:33AM ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2026 WE'RE CONDUCTING THIS MEETING AT THE TCAD HEADQUARTERS LOCATED AT 850 EAST ANDERSON LANE IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, AND A QUORUM IS PRESENT. WE ARE ALSO [2. Establishment of a Quorum] PROVIDING THIS MEETING THROUGH ONLINE BROADCAST AND WITH CLOSED CAPTIONS AS COURTESY. THE FIRST ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS ITEM [3. Citizens Communication] THREE, CITIZENS COMMUNICATION. CITIZENS WILL BE GIVEN THREE MINUTES TO ADDRESS THE BOARD, WHETHER GIVING A COMPLAINT OR PRAISE. MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE ASKED TO REFER TO STAFF MEMBERS BY POSITION OR BY THEIR ABBREVIATED LAST NAME. CITIZENS MAY SPEAK ON ANY TOPIC THEY CHOOSE. THE BOARD CANNOT ACT OR COMMENT ON ANY SUBJECT NOT LISTED ON TODAY'S AGENDA. DO WE HAVE ANYONE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK, MISS MANN? LEANA MANN: WE DO. MISS GRACIE. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: OKAY, MISS JUDY GRACIE, COULD YOU COME UP TRAVIS COUNTY TAXPAYER: HI, HELLO. HI. MY NAME IS JUDY GRACIE, AND I'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE, TALKING ABOUT MY REAPPRAISAL OF MY LAND THAT WAS IN 2024 AND MY MY LAND WENT UP 500% AND IT'S A UNIQUE LAKE PROPERTY. IT HAS A LOT OF FRONTAGE AND VERY LITTLE ACREAGE. AND THE NEW REAPPRAISAL PROPERTY ONLY LOOKS AT FRONT FOOT FOOTAGE, NOT ACREAGE AND ADJOINING MARKET AREAS, OR 4500 FRONT FOOT. MINE WAS 10,000 MY LITTLE AREA SO AND THEN THERE ARE SURPLUS FRONT FOOT DISCOUNTS, AND ALL OF THOSE WERE ABOUT THE SAME. SO IN ANOTHER ADJOINING MARKET AREA, FIVE MINUTES FROM ME, RIGHT DOWN THE LAKE, MY PROPERTY WOULD HAVE BEEN APPRAISED AT 1.7 MILLION VERSUS $4.43 MILLION MORE. 1.73 4.4 SO I'VE BEEN TRYING TO WORK FIGURE OUT. TWO YEARS I'VE BEEN THROUGH THE FORMAL HEARINGS AND AND LAST YEAR, I GOT TO THE POINT WHERE THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN ADJUST LAND VALUE IN TRAVIS COUNTY IS BY GOING TO DISTRICT COURT. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I WAS PURSUING THAT, AND THEN IT WAS BROUGHT UP THAT ARBITRATION WAS A POSSIBILITY, BUT, YOU KNOW, IN TALKING TO THEM, THEY SAID THEY HAVE NO AUTHORITY TO ADJUST LAND VALUE. SO WHAT RECOURSE DO I HAVE? I MEAN, I'M TRYING TO GET THIS DOWN TO WHERE IT WOULD BE FEASIBLE. YOU MEAN, GOING THROUGH THE FORMAL HEARING, THEY TOOK THE VALUE OFF. YOU KNOW, THEY DID ADJUST THE VALUE THAT WAS INC. PRIEST ON MY ON MY HOME [00:05:02] LAST YEAR. SO THEY DID TAKE THAT OFF, BUT THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T ADJUST THE LAND VALUE. SO I'M REALLY STUCK, AND IT LOOKS LIKE, YOU KNOW, I'LL HAVE TO BE GOING TO DISTRICT COURT. JUST DON'T KNOW. BUT IT IS ONE THING WHEN YOU WHEN YOU CAN LOOK AT PROPERTIES ACROSS THE LAKE, THE SAME FRONTAGE AS MINE, THE SAME TYPE OF PROPERTY, AND THEY'RE 1.7 AND I'M 4.4 SO, YOU KNOW, HAVE BEEN, HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR A RESOLUTION WITHOUT GOING TO DISTRICT COURT, AND SO, SO THINK THAT IS ABOUT WHAT I CAME TO SAY AGAIN. I DID PURSUE IT. DID ASK A LAWYER, AND IT WAS A $10,000 RETAINER. SO I DID DO AN OPEN RECORDS REQUEST TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY LAND ADJUSTMENTS THEN THERE WEREN'T. SO ANYWAY, THANK YOU. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: THANK YOU FOR COMING AGAIN. MS GRACIE, WE APPRECIATE IT. AT THIS TIME WE'LL GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS ITEMS FIVE AND 9D. DOES ANYONE HAVE A MOTION TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION? A MOTION FROM MR. WANG, SECOND FROM MS CONLEY, YES, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, AYE, IT'S UNANIMOUS. SO I THINK WE WILL GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION AT THIS TIME. NOW GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION ACCORDING TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, FIVE, FIVE, 1.074 RELATED TO PERSONNEL MATTERS, TO DELIBERATE THE APPOINTMENT, EMPLOYMENT EVALUATION, REASSIGNMENT DUTIES, DISCIPLINE OR DISMISSAL OF THE CHIEF APPRAISER OR OTHER PUBLIC OFFICER OR EMPLOYEE, THE TIME IS CURRENTLY 11 POINT 11:39AM AND THE TRAVIS CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS IS GOING INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION. [01:05:53] THE TRAVIS CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS [01:05:56] RETURNED FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION. WE'LL NOW RETURN TO ITEM FOUR ON [01:06:01] THE AGENDA, DISCUSSION ON THE REPORT FROM THE BOARD VACANCY [4. Discussion on Report from Board Vacancy Review Committee] [01:06:04] REVIEW COMMITTEE. LET'S SEE. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS [01:06:12] ITEM? MR. HANNA, WOULD YOU LIKE TO JUST BRIEFLY SAY WHAT THE [01:06:18] BOARD DID? [01:06:19] JETT HANNA: SAY SOMETHING BRIEFLY ABOUT IT, AND THAT IS [01:06:24] THAT WE ARE FOLLOWING THE STATE LAW. WE HAD 10 NOMINATIONS FROM [01:06:31] ENTITIES. THAT'S HOW THIS PARTICULAR SITUATION IS SET UP, [01:06:37] AND THE COMMITTEE INTERVIEWED EIGHT OF THE PEOPLE, AND WE HAD, [01:06:48] WE HAD VARIOUS CONSIDERATIONS TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ON THIS, BUT [01:06:56] WE ARE PLEASED TO RECOMMEND AARON MORENO, WHO WAS NOMINATED BY THE CITY OF MAYOR, AND ELIZABETH MONTOYA, WHO WAS NOMINATED BY PFLUGERVILLE, ISD, CITY OF PFLUGERVILLE, AND LEANDER AND I HAVE MOVED, MOVED TO APPOINT ELIZABETH MONTOYA AND AARON MORENO TO THE TRAVIS CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE TERM ENDING DECEMBER, 31 2027 DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: WE'VE HAD A REPORT CONCERNING FROM THE COMMITTEE THAT REVIEWED THOSE NOMINATIONS FOR THE TAXING JURISDICTIONS. I THINK WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM NINE NOW, CONCERNING THE MOTION FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF THESE BOARD [5. Discussion and Possible Action on Appointment of Board Members to Fill Two Vacant Appointed Positions on the Travis Central Appraisal District Board of Directors] MEMBERS TO SERVE. THERE ARE TWO VACANT POSITIONS ON OUR BOARD, AND SO I NEED A MOTION AT THIS POINT TO TO SELECT THESE NEW BOARD MEMBERS. DO I HAVE A MOTION BRUCE ELFANT: I'LL BE HAPPY TO MOVE THAT WE ADD ELIZABETH MONTOYA AND AARON MORENO TO THE TCAD BOARD OF DIRECTORS. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: OKAY, IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND FOR MR. HANNA, WE HAVE A MOTION FOR MR. ELFANT AND A SECOND FOR MR. HANNA TO APPOINT MR. MORENO, MS MONTOYA AND MR. MORENO TO THE VACANT BOARD POSITIONS. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE, AYE. THOSE OPPOSED, IT IS UNANIMOUS. CONGRATULATIONS. WOULD Y'ALL LIKE TO COME SIT WITH US NOW? YEAH, COME ON UP, ELIZABETH, I THINK I'VE GOT YOUR SPOT HERE. WELCOME BACK. MISS MONTOYA WAS A FORMER BOARD MEMBER, AND WE'RE GLAD TO HAVE YOU BACK. AND MR. MORENO IS FROM MANOR. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING OUR GROUP. YEAH, WE'VE HEARD VERY NICE THINGS IN THE FROM THE REPORT, FROM YOUR INTERVIEWS, AND SO IT'S WONDERFUL TO HAVE YOU HERE. THANK YOU. OKAY, LET'S SEE WHERE WE ARE. YES, NUMBER SIX, EXECUTION OF THE STATEMENT OF OFFICER AND [6. Execution of the Statement of Officer and Oath of Office for All Board Members] OATH OF OFFICE FOR ALL BOARD MEMBERS. THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS ITEM SIX, EXECUTION OF THE STATEMENT. I'D LIKE TO WELCOME DAVINA BARTON TO LEAD US THROUGH THESE ITEMS. AND I THINK IF WE'VE TURNED IN FRONT OF US, DAVINA BARTON: SO WHAT WE NEED TO IS I'LL REPEAT AND THEN YOU'LL JUST REPEAT AFTER ME. WE'LL RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. I JUST ASK THAT YOU PLEASE DO NOT SIGN US TO AFTER THE MEETING, AND THEN WE'LL TAKE CARE OF THE ORGANIZATION. SO IF YOU RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND AND JUST REPEAT AFTER ME, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME. DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR OR AFFIRM. THAT I HAVE [01:10:05] NOT DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, THAT I HAVE NOT DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY PAID, OFFERED, PROMISED CONTRIBUTE, CONTRIBUTED OR PROMISED TO CONTRIBUTE ANY MONEY OR THING OF VALUE, OR PROMISE ANY PUBLIC OFFICE OR EMPLOYMENT, OR FOR THE GIVING OR WITHHOLDING OF A VOTE, FOR THE GIVING OR WITHHOLDING OF A VOTE AT THE ELECTION IN WHICH I WAS ELECTED, AT THE ELECTION OF WHICH I WAS ELECTED OR AS A REWARD TO SECURE MY APPOINTMENT OR CONFIRMATION, WHICHEVER THE CASE MAY BE. SO HELP ME, GOD. RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND. RIGHT HAND. DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR OR AFFIRM THAT I WILL FAITHFULLY EXECUTE, THAT I WILL FAITHFULLY EXECUTE THE DUTIES OF THE OFFICE OF THE DUTIES OF THE OFFICE OF THE TCAD BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE STATE OF TEXAS, WILL, TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY, AND WILL TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY, PRESERVE, PROTECT AND DEFEND. PRESERVE, PROTECT AND DEFEND. THE CONSTITUTION INVOLVES. THE CONSTITUTION INVOLVES THE UNITED STATES, OF THIS STATE OF THE UNITED STATES. SO HELP ME, GOD. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: THANK YOU FOR THANK YOU NICE SMALL BITES FOR US TO REMEMBER. I'VE SEEN THIS DONE BEFORE WHERE THEY DO A WHOLE LINE I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY JUST CAN'T REPEAT IT. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT. THE NEXT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA IS NUMBER SEVEN, THE ELECTION OF OFFICERS FOR THE BOARD OF [7. Election of Officers for the Board of Directors: Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, and Secretary/Treasurer] DIRECTORS, THE CHAIRPERSON, VICE CHAIRPERSON, AND SECRETARY, SLASH TREASURER. SO THREE INDIVIDUALS THIS, WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO SUBMIT HIS OR HER NAME FOR CONSIDERATION OR MAKE A NOMINATION. I WOULD LIKE TO NOMINATE NICOLE CONLEY AS THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD FOR 2026 I WOULD SECOND THAT, AND WE HAVE A SECOND FROM MR. ELFANT. IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS ITEM? I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT MISS CONNLEY IS SO QUALIFIED AND HAS BEEN ON THE BOARD FOR A WHILE AND SERVED AS SECRETARY TREASURER FOR YOU NEWCOMERS, AND IS SOMEONE WHO I THINK YOU ALL REALLY ENJOY WORKING WITH. SO ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. THOSE OPPOSED IS UNANIMOUS. YAY. YOU KNOW WHAT'S SO WONDERFUL ABOUT THIS? I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO HER. NICOLE CONLEY: WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. IT'S BEEN AN HONOR TO SERVE ALONGSIDE WITH THE EXISTING BOARD MEMBERS, AND WELCOME TO THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS WHO ARE QUASI NEW BOARD MEMBERS. I'VE HAD THE LUXURY OF SERVING WITH MISS MONTOYA PREVIOUSLY, BUT IT REALLY MEANS A LOT TO ME TO HAVE THIS VOTE OF CONFIDENCE AMONGST SUCH AN ESTEEMED GROUP OF COLLEAGUES AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS, WE DO IMPORTANT WORK IN THIS COMMUNITY, AND I FEEL LIKE WE'VE GOT SOME SIMPATICO HERE, AND I KNOW THAT WE'RE GOING TO JUST BE SUPPORTED EVEN MORE AND DO EVEN MORE WITH OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS. SO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO BE A PART OF THIS GREAT TEAM. YES, ALL RIGHT, SO MOVING ON IS, DO WE HAVE I'D LIKE TO SORT OF TAKE A POINT OF PRIVILEGE AND NOMINATE FOR VICE PERSON MISS DEBBIE CARTWRIGHT, WHO'S SERVED ALONG IN THIS BOARD, WAY BEYOND MY EXPERIENCE HERE, BUT CERTAINLY SHE BRINGS ENORMOUS EXPERTISE, NOT ONLY FROM A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE, BUT ALWAYS SORT OF FIGHTING AS A CHAMPION FOR LOCAL, YOU KNOW, CONSTITUENTS AND THEIR ADVOCACY. YOU COULD ALREADY SEE HER DEPTH OF INTEREST AND IN THESE REPORTS AND THE DETAILS AND TAXPAYER LIAISON. SO I THINK SHE'S WELL SUITED TO BE VICE VICE CHAIRPERSON. SO I'D LIKE TO SECOND AWESOME NOW THAT WE HAVE A SECOND CAN, LET'S TAKE THE VOTE ALL IN FAVOR OF MISS CARTWRIGHT BEING OUR VICE CHAIRPERSON. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. AWESOME. MOVING ON TO THE SECRETARY POSITION. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY MOTIONS THAT THEY WANT TO WELL, IF NOT, I'D LIKE TO RECOMMEND MISS MONTOYA FOR THE POSITION OF SECRETARY. SHE IS, AGAIN, HER DEPTH OF EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE. SHE'S ALREADY, YOU KNOW, SHE'S POSITIONED TO SERVE IN THIS, THIS POSITION. WELL, FOR THE BOARD, I HAVE NO INSECURITIES ABOUT HER. ABILITY TO SORT OF DELIVER FOR US. AND SO ASSUMING THAT YOU ALL ARE [01:15:04] HERE WITH ME, WE CAN ALL APPROVE MISS MONTOYA'S APPOINTMENT AS WELL. CAN I GET A MOTION? OH, WELL, NO, I MADE THE MOTION. CAN I GET A SECOND JOY? ALL IN FAVOR, AWESOME. WE HAVE A UNANIMOUS VOTE. WELCOME MISS MONTOYA AND YOUR REWARD FOR BEING THE BOARD NOW IS MORE WORK. ALL RIGHT, WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS. MOVING ON TO THE CONSENT AGENDA, WHICH IS NEXT. [8. Consent Agenda] THESE ITEMS MAY BE ACTED UPON IN ONE MOTION, NO SEPARATE DISCUSSION OR VOTE ON ANY OF THESE ITEMS WILL BE HELD UNLESS REQUESTED BY A BOARD MEMBER. THE CONSENT AGENDA INCLUDES APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE DECEMBER 11, 2025 REGULAR MEETING. ITEM NUMBER 8B SECTION 25 DOT 20 5B REPORTS. ITEM 8C ARE ACCOUNTING STATEMENTS AND 8D OUR PERSONNEL REPORT. I'LL GIVE THE BOARD A FEW MINUTES TO REVIEW THESE ITEMS AND REQUEST ANY ITEMS BE PULLED FOR DISCUSSION. PLEASE LET ME KNOW. SO GIVE YOU A FEW MINUTES TO READ APPLAUSE. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: MAY I ASK A QUESTION? MADAM CHAIRMAN, ON THE THIS ISN'T TO PULL ANYTHING, BUT JUST A QUICK QUESTION ON THE PERSONNEL STATUS REPORT, ARE YOU GETTING SUFFICIENT APPLICANTS TO MAKE SOME SELECTIONS? LEANA MANN: WE ARE. WE'VE GOTTEN VERY QUALIFIED APPLICANTS, AND NUMBER OF THEM. NICOLE CONLEY: SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WITH THAT, CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. THANK YOU. MS ISRAEL, SECONDED BY MR. WANG, ALL IN FAVOR. AWESOME. THANK YOU. MOVING ON OUR REGULAR AGENDA. ITEM NINE, A DISCUSSION ON THE [9. Regular Agenda] [9a. Discussion on Report from AG Advisory Board Committee] REPORT FROM THE AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY BOARD COMMITTEE. I'LL TURN THAT OVER TO OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: I THINK THAT'S ME. YES, WE MET WITH TWO REAPPOINTMENTS TO THE AGRICULTURAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND A NEW MEMBER THAT WAS RECOMMENDED TO US. AS YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW, THIS ADVISORY GROUP BASICALLY MEETS TWICE A YEAR, OR MAYBE THREE TIMES A YEAR. IS THAT CORRECT? MISS MAN? TWO OR 322 TIMES A YEAR, AND THEY PROVIDE INFORMATION TO THE CHIEF APPRAISER AND TO THE APPRAISERS WHO DO VALUATION FOR OPEN SPACE, LAND AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL USES, ABOUT YIELDS AND LEVEL OF ACTIVITY, MINIMUM ACREAGE REQUIREMENTS IN CERTAIN CASES OF WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AND JUST VARIOUS THINGS THAT RELATE TO IT. IT IS STRICTLY AN ADVISORY GROUP. THEY DON'T MAKE ANY FINAL DECISIONS. HISTORICALLY AND ACROSS THE STATE, MEMBERS OF THE ADVISORY GROUP ARE OUR FARMERS AND RANCHERS AND PEOPLE WHO HAD BACKGROUND IN THE AREA. ONE OF THE PEOPLE ON OUR ON OUR AGRICULTURE ADVISORY GROUP DOES BE BEEKEEPING WORK, AND OTHERS HAVE WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT. AND SO IT'S A VARIETY OF RESPONSIBILITIES. SO I THINK THAT IT'S ANOTHER AGENDA ITEM WHERE WE ACTUALLY NAME THE NAMES, BUT WE HAD A WONDERFUL TIME VISITING WITH THOSE PEOPLE. THE STAFF WAS WITH US AS WE TALKED ABOUT DIFFERENT ISSUES RELATING TO AGRICULTURE, AND I FOUND IT TO BE A GREAT EXERCISE. AND SO I'LL GIVE YOU OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ON ANOTHER ANOTHER AREA OF THE AGENDA. NICOLE CONLEY: THANK YOU, MISS CARTWRIGHT. I THINK WE ARE FOR 9B WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON AND WE'RE GOING TO TAKE ACTION ON [9b. Discussion and Possible Action on Appointment of AG Advisory Board Members] THE RECOMMENDATION. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: OKAY, I WASN'T SURE IT WAS RIGHT AFTERWARDS. I WASN'T SURE WHERE I WAS ON A COMMITTEE ON THE AGENDA. I'M SORRY, NO WORRIES. OKAY, THANK YOU THE FIRST TWO THAT ARE LISTED ARE LARRY MELLENBROOK, WHO LIVES IN EASTERN TRAVIS COUNTY, AND THE OTHER IS TIM VAN ACKER AKRON, AND BOTH OF THOSE ARE REAPPOINTMENTS, AND BOTH OF THEM ARE VERY INTERESTED IN CONTINUING WORK ON WITH THE ADVISORY GROUP HAD A GREAT DEAL OF INPUT ABOUT PARTICULARLY ABOUT WATER CONSERVATION ISSUES AND HOW IT RELATES TO VALUATION OF LAND, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS FASCINATING BACKGROUND FOR HIM TO HAVE. AND THEN MR. MELLENBROOK HAS BEEN ACTIVE WITH SOUTHWEST CATTLE RAISERS FOR A LONG TIME AND HAS HIS OWN. CATTLE RANCHING OPERATION, AND IS VERY FAMILIAR WITH WHAT IS AN [01:20:04] APPROPRIATE NUMBER OF CATTLE PER ACRE AND ALL THE THINGS THAT GO INTO THOSE CALCULATIONS. MR. SMITH IS A NEW APPOINTMENT. HE WAS RECRUITED BY THE THE MR. DAN, AND I CAN'T SAY IT RIGHT, DURSCHKE, IS THAT, DID I GET EVEN CLOSE? IT'S IT'S A CHECK NAME, BUT HE IS FROM THIS AREA. HE'S OVER IN THE ELROY AREA, IS WHERE HIS HIS PROPERTY IS LOCATED, AND HE'S VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE ISSUE OF FAMILY FARMING, AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO TO CONTINUE THAT PRACTICE AND AND MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE POLICIES THAT PERMIT FARMERS AND RANCHERS TO STAY ON THE LAND. SO I WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND, I WOULDN'T LIKE I WILL RECOMMEND THE REAPPOINTMENT OF LARRY MELLENBROOK, TIM VAN AKRON, AND THE APPOINTMENT OF MR. PATRICK SMITH. NICOLE CONLEY: THANK YOU. WE HAVE A SECOND WITH MISS FROM MR. ELFANT, ALL OF ALL APPROVAL OF THESE NEW MEMBERS TO THE COMMITTEE. OKAY, GREAT. WELCOME TO THE TO THE NEW MEMBERS. I'M REALLY HAPPY TO THAT WE HAVE SOMEONE WITH SOME WATER EXPERIENCE IN CONSERVATION, BECAUSE IT'S BECOMING A COMMODITY, AS WE SPEAK. SO THAT'LL BE, THAT'LL BE A GREAT LENS TO ADD TO THAT THAT COMMITTEE. AND NOW WE'LL MOVE ON [9c. Discussion and Possible Action on Appraisal Review Board Chairperson's Report] TO AGENDA ITEM 9C DISCUSSION, POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE APPRAISAL REVIEW BOARD CHAIRMAN'S REPORT. WE'LL HEAR FROM OUR ARB CHAIR, MEG BROOKS, HI, MEG, MISS BROOKS, MEG BROOKS: GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. I DON'T HAVE A LOT TO ADD TO THE REPORTER, IT'S LOUD, BUT WE'RE MR. GIFFORD, AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR THE APPOINTMENT, AND WE'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT STARTING A NEW YEAR. WE'VE GOT, WE HAD 31 NEW PEOPLE WHO WERE WHO WERE GOING TO JOIN THE BOARD. NOW WE WORKED 33 AND NOW WE'RE DOWN TO 31 WHICH IS NOT BAD, AND HOPEFULLY SO WE'RE THE BOARD AT RIGHT NOW IS ABOUT AT 103, SO 103 MEMBERS, AND WE'RE STARTING THE TRAINING SEASON. SO WE'VE ALREADY HAD THE FIRST TRAINING FOR THE AGS VIDEOS THAT WE HAVE TO WE HAVE TO WATCH AND GETTING EVERYBODY SIGNED IN, AND THEN WE WILL HAVE THE NEW MEMBER TRAINING, WHICH WE'VE KIND OF EXPANDED FROM TWO HALF DAYS TO THREE HALF DAYS, SO WE CAN DO A MOCK HEARING FOR EVERYBODY, BECAUSE WE KIND OF FIGURED THEY THEY HEAR ALL THIS INFORMATION, BUT THEY'RE NOT NECESSARILY WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO SIT IN A PANEL. WE'RE HAVING A MEETING TOMORROW. I MAY SUGGEST WE DO THE PANEL THE FIRST DAY, AND THEN HAVE ALL THE TRAINING, SO WE'LL SEE. BUT WE'VE GOT THE NEW MEMBER TRAINING STARTING, AND THEN WE'VE ALSO, I'VE ALSO FOUND A SPEAKER TO TALK ABOUT USPAP AND MASS APPRAISAL. WE HAD SOMEONE A FEW YEARS AGO THAT WAS REALLY, REALLY GOOD, BUT THEY RETIRED, SO I THINK I MAY HAVE FOUND SOMEBODY ELSE, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S ONE OF THOSE SETS UNDERSTANDING HOW THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT DOES ITS JOB CAN REALLY HELP THEM EVALUATE ALL THE INFORMATION THEY TAKE IN. AND WE'RE GOING TO GET MR. MCBEE TO COME BACK AND DO OUR ETHICS TRAINING, AND YEAH, AND THEN WE'RE LOOKING FOR, WE'VE, WE'VE HAVE A FEW OTHER TRAININGS AS WELL, AND WE'LL HOPEFULLY GET IT ALL DONE BEFORE WE STARTED MAY. SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW. IF NICOLE CONLEY: ANYONE'S GOT ANY QUESTIONS, THANK YOU, MISS BROOKS. ANY QUESTIONS? HISTORY? NO. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, MISS BROOKS. HAVE A GOOD ONE. NEXT, WE'LL BE DISCUSSING A REPORT FOR FROM THE TAX PAYER LIAISON COMMITTEE, AND FOR ITEM NUMBER 9D WE'LL TAKE ACTION ON THIS ITEM AS PART OF 9E AND FOR [9d. Discussion on Report from Taxpayer Liaison Committee] THE POSSIBLE APPOINTMENT OF A TAXPAYER LIAISON OFFICER. AT THIS TIME, WE'RE GOING TO HEAR FROM MISS CARTWRIGHT ABOUT THE COMMITTEES, OR IS IT MR. MR. WANG, I'M SORRY, MR. WANG, YES. SHENGHAO WANG: SO WE INTERVIEWED WELL, SO WE REPOSTED THE POSITION, I THINK WE DISCUSSED AT THE LAST BOARD MEETING WHY I'M GOING TO TRY AND SIT IN APPROPRIATE DISTANCE FROM THIS MIC, AND WE DECIDED THAT IT MADE MORE SENSE FOR THE TLO POSITION TO BE COMBINED WITH WHAT THE CURRENT, CURRENT DEPUTY TLO POSITION LOOKS LIKE, AND HAVE IT BE A ONE PERSON IN A 40 HOUR WEEK FULL TIME POSITION. CURRENTLY, THE TLO IS A PART TIME CONTRACT POSITION, AND AND THERE'LL BE A W2 EMPLOYEE OF THE DISTRICT GOING FORWARD. SO WE REPOSTED THAT. WE GOT A ROBUST OVER 200 APPLICATIONS. WE FILTERED THAT DOWN TO, I THINK, SEVEN INTERVIEWEES THE TLO SUBCOMMITTEE OR COMMITTEE. WE INTERVIEWED THEM, AND WE ARE PLEASED. TO RECOMMEND MR. TONY [01:25:01] TRAN FOR THE BOARD TO APPOINT AS THE NEXT TLO. SO THAT'S IT FOR ME. NICOLE CONLEY: THANK YOU, MR. WANG. SO THAT BEING SAID, CAN WE GET A RECOMMENDATION, A MOTION TO APPROVE THE RECOMMENDED [9e. Discussion and Possible Action on Appointment of Taxpayer Liaison Officer] CANDIDATE AND AS MR. MR. HANNA ALREADY INFORMED HER, THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ACTIONS THAT CAN BE CONDUCTED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. SO OBVIOUSLY IT'S AN IMPORTANT ACTION TO SORT OF PUT BEHIND A PERSON THAT WE CAN ALL SORT OF HAVE NO INSECURITIES ABOUT MOVING FORWARD WITH. AND SO THAT BEING SAID, CAN I GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THE RECOMMENDED CANDIDATE? DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: I WILL MAKE THE MOTION I MOVE TO APPOINT TONY TRAN AS THE TRAVIS CENTRAL APPRAISAL DISTRICT'S TAXPAYER LIAISON OFFICER AND FOR THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF TO COMPLETE THE HIRING AND ONBOARDING PROCESS. NICOLE CONLEY: THANK YOU, MR. WANG. THANK YOU. SECONDED BY MR. WANG. ALL IN FAVOR OF THE RECOMMENDED CANDIDATE, AYE, AND THERE ARE NO NO'S ALL UNANIMOUS APPROVAL. THANK YOU. SO THERE'S ONE ABSENT, ONE ABSTENTION. I'M SORRY, MR. HANNA ABSTAINED. THANK YOU. SHENGHAO WANG: ACTUALLY, I WOULD LIKE TO, I DID FORGET TO SAY ONE THING IN MY REPORT, BECAUSE WE WERE VERY PLEASED AT THE QUALITY OF THE APPLICANT. I THINK MULTIPLE OF THE APPLICANTS, I THINK WOULD HAVE MADE TLOS THAT WE WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY COMFORTABLE WITH, AND THERE ARE CERTAINLY SOME THAT WE HOPE WILL JOIN THE DISTRICT IN OTHER CAPACITIES. NICOLE CONLEY: THANK YOU, MR. WANG, MOVING ON TO ITEM NUMBER 9F, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE ANNUAL REVIEW AND ADOPTION OF THE INVESTMENT POLICY AND INVESTMENT [9f: Discussion and Possible Action on Annual Review and Adoption of Investment Policy and Investment Strategies] STRATEGIES. I'LL REMIND THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE AN ARTIFACT OF THE INVESTMENT REPORT AND YOUR MATERIALS THAT WERE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. THESE ARE MORE ROUTINE ANNUAL ITEMS. MISS KAT HARVEY, OUR DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION WILL PRESENT THIS ITEM. HELLO. MS HARVEY. KAT HARVEY: HI, EVERYBODY. SO THIS IS OUR ANNUAL ADOPTION OF THE INVESTMENT POLICY. SO GOVERNMENT CODE CHAPTER 2256 KNOWN AS THE PUBLIC FUNDS INVESTMENT ACT, OR PFIA, REQUIRES THAT A GOVERNING BOARD REVIEW AND ADOPT A WRITTEN INVESTMENT POLICY REGARDING THE INVESTMENT OF ITS FUNDS AND FUNDS UNDER ITS CONTROL. TCAD INVESTMENT POLICY AND INVESTMENT STRATEGIES WERE LAST REVIEWED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ON JANUARY 28 2025 SO SECTION SIX AUTHORIZED DEALERS AND INSTITUTIONS. THIS IS A PROPOSED CHANGE SO PER THE PUBLIC FUNDS INVESTMENT ACT, BROKERS AND DEALERS ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED TO CERTIFY TO REVIEW THE POLICY. ONLY LOCAL GOVERNMENT POOLS AND SEC REGISTERED INVESTMENT ADVISORS MUST CERTIFY TO A REVIEW OF THAT POLICY AND METER INVESTMENTS AS OUR CURRENT INVESTMENT ADVISOR AND ANNUALLY REVIEWS THE INVESTMENT POLICY PRIOR TO SUBMITTING THIS POLICY TO THE BOARD FOR YOUR ANNUAL REVIEW AND ADOPTION. AND SECTION SEVEN IS SUITABLE AND AUTHORIZED INVESTMENTS. SO UPDATED THE MAXIMUM MATURITY FOR COMMERCIAL PAPER TO 365 DAYS, REFLECTIVE OF WHAT IT SAYS IN THE PUBLIC FUNDS INVESTMENT ACT. SO EXHIBIT B IN YOUR PACKET HAS THE AUTHORIZED BROKER AND DEALERS LIST THAT WAS PROVIDED BY METER, OUR CURRENT INVESTMENT ADVISORY FIRM. IT'S ON PAGE 129, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: MADAM CHAIRPERSON, MAY I ASK A NICOLE CONLEY: MS CARTWRIGHT, PLEASE. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: I KNOW THAT YOU DEAL WITH THIS EVERY DAY. ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE INVESTMENT POLICY AND ITS TOTALITY? I KNOW THESE ARE SPECIFIC CHANGES, BUT OVERALL, DO YOU FEEL LIKE IT WORKS WELL FOR THE DISTRICT? KAT HARVEY: ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. YEAH. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. NICOLE CONLEY: ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR MISS HARVEY. SHENGHAO WANG: JUST FOR MY EDIFICATION, WHAT WAS THE PREVIOUS MAXIMUM MATURITY FOR THE COMMERCIAL PAPER FOR THE 365 LEANA MANN: I BELIEVE IT WAS 270 DAYS CORRECT. THEY MAKE SMALL CHANGES LIKE THAT EVERY COUPLE YEARS. AND AS A REMINDER, WE ONLY HAVE CHECKING CASH ACCOUNTS AND THEN OUR INVESTMENT POOLS, THROUGH TEXT POOL. WE DON'T DO COMMERCIAL PAPER OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. VERY SECURE INVESTMENTS, NICOLE CONLEY: YES, AND THEY'RE GETTING ABOUT 3.75% EARNINGS, WHICH IS PRETTY IN LINE. YOU CAN FINALLY EARN A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY ON YOUR SHORT TERM INVESTMENTS SO AND NOT TO MENTION THAT YOU ALL ENTER THE MONTH WITH A SURPLUS, SO PRETTY GOOD OVERSIGHT. THIS IS A SOLID FISCAL POLICY STANDARD ROUTINE, AND I THINK IT'S WE NEED TO DEFINITELY HAVE SOME STANDARDS AS WE MONITOR THE PORTFOLIO GOING FORWARD. SHENGHAO WANG: THAT'S IT. THAT'S IT FOR ME. NICOLE CONLEY: THANK YOU, MR. WANG. WE GET A MOTION TO CAN WE [01:30:05] GET A MOTION TO APPROVE THIS ITEM IN A SECOND? MOVED BY MR. WANG, SECOND BY MR. ELFANT. ALL IN FAVOR. ALL RIGHT. UNANIMOUS APPROVAL. THANK YOU ALL. NEXT ACTION WE HAVE THE 9G DISCUSSION [9g: Discussion and Possible Action on Travis Central Appraisal District's Records Management Policy] AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE DISTRICT'S RECORDS MANAGEMENT POLICY, THE RECORDS MANAGEMENT OFFER. MISS TRISHA DANGFIELD BELL, YES, WILL PRESENT THIS ITEM. HI, MISS DANGFIELD BELL, HELLO, TRISHA DANGERFIELD BELL: HI'M THE RECORDS MANAGEMENT OFFICER, AND WE WERE REACHING. WE REACHED OUT TO TWO SLACK TO SEE WHAT POLICY WE CURRENTLY HAD ON RECORD WITH THEM, AND IT WAS PRETTY OUTDATED. IT WAS FROM 2014 SO WE WANT TO UPDATE THAT TO REFLECT THE NEW CHIEF APPRAISER, AND THEN ALSO AT THEIR RECOMMENDATION A POINT. APPOINT A SPECIFIC JOB TITLE VERSUS A SPECIFIC EMPLOYEE IN THE POLICY, SO THEN WE WON'T HAVE TO CONTINUE TO UPDATE IT, BECAUSE THIS WAS OUTDATED SPECIFYING A SPECIFIC EMPLOYEE. LEANA MANN: THIS IS ALSO GOING TO BE A NEW ITEM ON OUR MAP REVIEW FOR 2026 AND 2027 AND SO WE ARE FOLLOWING THE GUIDANCE OF THE COMPTROLLER AS WELL THROUGH T SLACK OF APPOINTING A POSITION IN OUR POLICY VERSUS A PERSON. DUSTIN BANKS: AND BECAUSE ACTUALLY MISS DANGERFIELD WORKS UNDER MY SUPERVISION. WE WANTED HER TO HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO MEET THE BOARD. SHE'S BEEN WITH US FOR QUITE SOME TIME, AND I WOULD TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR HER TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT HERSELF. AND SHE DOES SUCH A WONDERFUL JOB, SHE GETS CONSTANT PRAISE BACK FROM TAXPAYERS THANKING HER FOR HER PROMPT RESPONSE TO RECORDS REQUEST. AND ADDITIONALLY, THIS IS A PRIME EXAMPLE, BECAUSE THE RECOMMENDATION THAT MISS MANN JUST MENTIONED WE WERE OUT, SHE HAD REACHED OUT A MONTH IN ADVANCE BEFORE IT EVEN BECAME KNOWN THAT THIS WAS HOME A MAPS ISSUE. SO IT'S A TESTAMENT TO HER HARD WORK AND DEDICATION TO BEING IN FRONT OF THE ISSUES THAT MAY BE PRESENTED IN FRONT OF THE DISTRICT. NICOLE CONLEY: THANK YOU MISS DANGERFIELD BELL FOR ALL YOUR PREEMPTIVE WORK AND KEEPING US ONLINE AND ON SCHEDULE. VERY DETAILED. I WILL ASK OUR RECORDS RETENTION POLICY, IS IT AROUND NINE SEVEN YEARS OR FIVE YEARS? NINE YEARS? IT VARIES. DUSTIN BANKS: IT'S CONTINGENT ON THE TYPE OF RECORD, SO IT CAN VARY, BUT YEAH, AVERAGE FIVE TO NICOLE CONLEY: PAYROLL RECORDS FOREVER. DUSTIN BANKS: YEAH, LITIGATION IS FOREVER. LEANA MANN: EVEN APPRAISAL RECORDS ARE 10 YEARS. SO I MEAN, WE HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF RECORDS WE HAVE TO KEEP. NICOLE CONLEY: THANK YOU. MS DANGERFIELD BELL, WE NEED A MOTION ON THIS ITEM. I GOT MOTION BY MR. HANNA, IS THERE A SECOND? MR. WANG? SECONDED BY MR. WANG, ALL IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THIS POLICY CHANGE? AYE. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. UNANIMOUS VOTE ON THAT POLICY ITEM. THANK YOU. MISS DANGERFIELD BELL, WE'LL NOW MOVE ON TO ITEM 9H DISCUSSION AND [9h: Discussion and Possible Action on Contract Amendment with Pritchard and Abbott, Inc. for Appraisal Services for the 2026 Tax Year] POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE CONTRACT AMENDMENT WITH PITCHFORD AND ABBOTT INC FOR APPRAISAL SERVICES FOR THE 2026 TAX YEAR. MISS MANN HAS THE PRIVILEGE OF PRESENTING THIS ITEM LEANA MANN: AS Y'ALL RECALL, AND AT OUR DECEMBER MEETING, Y'ALL APPROVED A CONTRACT WITH PRITCHARD AND ABBOTT INC TO BE OUR THIRD PARTY APPRAISER FOR THE 2026 TAX YEAR. ONCE WE GOT INTO NEGOTIATIONS AND LOOKING AT ALL OF THE ACCOUNTS WE WANTED THEM TO HANDLE, WE TOOK A GOOD LOOK AT PERSONAL PROPERTY ACCOUNTS WITH THE NEW HOUSE BILL NINE THAT WILL BE IMPLEMENTED THIS YEAR, WHICH IS THE $125,000 EXEMPTION FOR PERSONAL PROPERTY ACCOUNTS. AND WE LOOKED AT BECAUSE A LOT OF BUSINESSES HAVE MULTIPLE BPP ACCOUNTS, SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE GROUPED ALL BUSINESS ACCOUNTS TOGETHER. WE LOOKED AT WHICH ACCOUNTS WE COULD EVEN PULL OFF THAT WE ARE PRETTY CERTAIN WILL BE UNDER THAT $125,000 LIMITATION. AND WE CAME UP WITH ABOUT 850 ACCOUNTS. MAJORITY IS PERSONAL PROPERTY. THERE WERE TWO REAL PROPERTY ACCOUNTS ADDED, AND I PROVIDED THE BREAKDOWN. A LOT OF THESE ARE ELECTRIC COMPANIES, PHONE COMPANIES, PIPELINES, WHICH THEY THIS, PRITCHARD AND ABBOTT AND ALL OF THE THIRD PARTY APPRAISAL FIRMS, THAT IS THEIR SPECIALTY. SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE INCLUDED ALL OF THOSE FOR THEM. SO THE ADDITIONAL 824 ACCOUNTS WILL BE AN ADDITIONAL $40,500 FOR OUR 2026, TAX YEAR. AND SO WE'RE JUST ASKING THE BOARD TO. APPROVE AN AMENDMENT TO THAT [01:35:01] INITIAL CONTRACT THAT ADDS THE 822 24 SHENGHAO WANG: QUICK CLARIFYING QUESTION, IF I MAY, NICOLE CONLEY: YES, MR. WANG AND THEN MR. HANNA SHENGHAO WANG: LETTER, SO I'M SORRY FOR JUMPING THE KEY. YEAH. SO ON PAGE 163 IT SAYS 658 ACCOUNTS. I JUST WANT TO SEE IF THE IS THE 824 AFTER WE ADD THOSE, OR WHAT'S WHAT'S THE LEANA MANN: SO HE'S PROBABLY REPORTING NET, BUT WE CAN CONFIRM THAT WHEN WE SPEAK AFTER APPROVAL BY THE BOARD. JETT HANNA: AND I JUST HAD A QUESTION ON WHETHER YOU HAVE ANY FEEL FOR THE IMPACT OF THE LEGISLATIVE CHANGE AT THIS POINT, LEANA MANN: IT'LL BE PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL. WE'RE ESTIMATING ABOUT 75% OF THE VALUE OF PERSONAL PROPERTY. I'M SORRY, THE NUMBER OF ACCOUNTS WILL COME OFF. THE VALUE WILL PROBABLY BE ABOUT A 50% REDUCTION. WE WILL ACTUALLY BE RUNNING A TEST IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS TO SEE WHAT THAT FISCAL, THE ACTUAL FISCAL IMPACT, WILL BE FOR OUR ENTITIES. AND THEN WE'LL GET WITH THEM AND MAKE SURE THEY KNOW WE'VE TOLD THEM A COUPLE TIMES IT'S COMING, BUT WE'LL GIVE THEM HARD NUMBERS THAT THEY CAN ANTICIPATE NICOLE CONLEY: MS. CARTWRIGHT DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: AND IT'S UNDERSTAND YOU'RE HAVING TO DO. WELL, MAYBE NOT YOU YOURSELF, BUT THE SOFTWARE VENDORS HAVING TO DO REPROGRAMMING TO DEAL WITH COMBINING ACCOUNTS OR CHANGING, CHANGING THE CURRENT STATUS OF OUR ACCOUNTS TO MEET THE NEW LEGISLATIVE GUIDELINES. LEANA MANN: THAT'S CORRECT FOR SOME HISTORICAL CONTEXT PRIOR TO HOUSE BILL NINE, THE EXEMPTION FOR PERSONAL PROPERTY WAS $2,500 SO MUCH SMALLER. IT ALSO WAS FOR ALL ACCOUNTS. SO IF AN ACCOUNT WAS BELOW THAT VALUE, THEY WERE FULLY EXEMPT. THE NEW BILL HAS SOME LANGUAGE FOR RELATED BUSINESS ENTITIES, AND WE'RE KIND OF LOOKING AT THIS, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE AN HEB MAY HAVE AN HEB PHARMACY AT THE SAME LOCATION. THEY ARE RELATED BUSINESS ENTITIES, SO THEY WOULD ONLY GET ONE EXEMPTION, WHEREAS IF YOU HAVE THREE DIFFERENT HEB LOCATIONS, THEY'LL GET THREE EXEMPTIONS. SO THERE WAS A LOT OF PROGRAMMING CHANGES, CHANGES THAT HAD TO BE MADE FOR THAT, AND WE'LL BE DOING A LOT OF TESTING. WE JUST GOT A RELEASE A WEEK OR TWO AGO FROM OUR VENDOR. SO THAT'S THAT TEST WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. IT'S A SUBSTANTIAL CHANGE TO PERSONAL PROPERTY APPRAISAL. NICOLE CONLEY: ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, MISS MANN, I DID HAVE A FOLLOW UP QUESTION, HAVE YOU BEEN HAVE ENTITIES BEEN PROVIDED WITH ANY KIND OF PRELIMINARY VALUE AS TO WHAT HOW THIS MIGHT IMPACT ON THEIR APPRAISAL VALUES GOING FORWARD, LEANA MANN: MANY HAVE SO A LOT OF THE JURISDICTIONS WILL REACH OUT MONTHLY OR EVERY QUARTER TO GET AN UPDATE. I MEET MONTHLY WITH AUSTIN ISD CFO. I MEET PRETTY REGULARLY WITH TRAVIS COUNTY BUDGET OFFICE. SO SOME OF THE LARGER ENTITIES, WE HAVE A REOCCURRING MEETING, BUT WE PROVIDE ESTIMATES TO ANY ENTITY THAT ASKS NICOLE CONLEY: PRESUMING THAT THEY'RE PREPARING THEMSELVES FOR SOME PRETTY SIGNIFICANT LOSSES IN THEIR ASSESSMENT VALUES. LEANA MANN: AND I THINK SOMETHING THAT WAS OVERLOOKED IN THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION WAS, YES, SCHOOL DISTRICTS WILL BE HELD HARMLESS FOR THIS BPP EXEMPTION, BUT ALL THE OTHER ENTITIES, THEY CAN ADJUST THEIR TAX RATE TO ACCOUNT FOR IT, BUT THAT VALUE IS NOT THERE FOR THEM. NICOLE CONLEY: ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD? AT THIS TIME, I'LL TAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE AMENDMENT. MISS CARTWRIGHT DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: I WILL SO MOVE YES, AND I'LL SECOND IT. NICOLE CONLEY: AND SECONDED BY MISS CARTWRIGHT. ALL IN FAVOR OF THE AMENDMENT. NO NAYS, NO NOS. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. ALL UNANIMOUS DECISION. MOVING FORWARD TO ITEM NINE, I DISCUSSION ON 2025 STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION EFFORTS AND 2026 PLANS AND PRIORITIES. WE HAVE THE LUXURY OF MISS CYNTHIA MARTINEZ TO PRESENT THIS ITEM. CYNTHIA MARTINEZ: GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYBODY. IT'S MY PLEASURE TO BE WITH YOU TODAY. WE ALWAYS LIKE TO PRESENT THIS [9i: Discussion on 2025 Strategic Communications Efforts and 2026 Plans and Priorities] REPORT TO THE BOARD, BECAUSE A LOT OF THE WORK THAT ENDS UP GOING INTO THIS PROJECT IS VERY MUCH SPEARED BY BOTH THE VISION OF THE CHIEF APPRAISER AND HER LEADERSHIP, AND THEN THE DIRECTION THAT THE BOARD SETS, ESPECIALLY IN TERMS OF OUR INTERACTION WITH TAXPAYERS AND THE PUBLIC. SO STARTING ON PAGE 178, OF YOUR BOOKLET. YOU HAVE MY FULL REPORT FOR THE YEAR, BUT WE JUST WANTED TO TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THOSE THINGS AND GET YOU ALL'S FEEDBACK AND DIRECTION AS WE GO INTO THE NEW YEAR. TO START OFF, THOUGH, I WILL SAY THAT A REALLY GREAT THING IS THAT WE MET ALL OF OUR 2025, GOALS AND PRIORITIES. SO I. YOU KNOW, ALWAYS NICE TO BE ABLE TO SAY THAT. BUT I'LL GO INTO EACH OF THESE ITEMS A LITTLE BIT MORE. [01:40:04] WE'LL START OFF WITH MEDIA RELATIONS. FIRST, A REALLY BIG THING IS, FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW WE HAD ZERO NEGATIVE MEDIA STORIES COME OUT OF THE PROTEST SEASON. AND THAT'S PRETTY SIGNIFICANT. SOME OF YOU HAVE BEEN IN TRAVIS COUNTY FOR A WHILE. KNOW HOW CONTENTIOUS THAT PROCESS HAS BEEN IN THE PAST, AND HOW MUCH WE HAVE IN THE PAST, GOTTEN DRAGGED IN THE MUD IN THE MEDIA BETWEEN APRIL AND JULY, BUT OUR STAFF IS DOING AN AMAZING JOB OF WORKING WITH TAXPAYERS, OF ADDRESSING THOSE INCIDENTS AS THEY HAPPEN, OF MAKING PEOPLE HAPPY. AND IF WE CAN'T MAKE YOU HAPPY, THEN WE EXPLAIN WHY. SO NOT EVEN A SINGLE INQUIRY IN REGARDS TO ANYTHING THAT'S GOING ON WITH THE TAXPAYER, 170 PIECES OF MEDIA COVERAGE OVERALL WITH AN 86% POSITIVE TONE AND 92% ON MESSAGE. I GO INTO THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL IN THE REPORT, BUT A LOT OF THE NEGATIVE OR NEUTRAL COVERAGE OR OFF MESSAGE COVERAGE THAT WE GOT WAS ACTUALLY NOT AS A RESULT OF OUR EFFORTS. IS IT WAS THE RESULT OF OUR NAME BEING INTERACTIVE WITH SOME DIFFERENT KINDS OF CONVERSATIONS THAT GO ON WITHIN THE COUNTY, SPECIFICALLY IN TERMS OF BUDGETING, OUR TAXING ENTITY BUDGETS, AND THE IMPACT THAT WE HAVE ON THEM, AND THEN SOME OF THE DISASTER RELIEF EFFORTS THAT HAPPENED IN SANDY CREEK, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE JUST CONFUSING US WITH COUNTY EFFORTS. SO SOMETIMES THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE JUST CAN'T CONTROL, BUT WE ALWAYS TRY TO REACH OUT TO THE MEDIA AND MAKE SURE THAT CORRECTIONS ARE ISSUED WHEN NEEDED, OR AT THE VERY LEAST THAT WE'RE ABLE TO KIND OF COUNTERACT SOME OF THAT MORE NEGATIVE COVERAGE. OUR GOALS FOR 2020, YES. MR. WANG, SHENGHAO WANG: I JUST ASKED A QUICK QUESTION, WHAT DO WE CONSIDER ON OR OFF MESSAGE? OR WHAT'S THE KIND OF CRITERIA FOR THAT? CYNTHIA MARTINEZ: THE BASIC CRITERIA IS GOING TO BE THAT IT'S FACTUAL, RIGHT? SO IF IT'S STORY ABOUT A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, IS THE INFORMATION IN THE STORY ACTUALLY WHAT THE LAW SAYS OR WHAT OUR POLICIES STATE ABOUT HOW HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS WORK? SO IS IT FACTUAL? THE OTHER ELEMENT TO THAT WOULD BE THAT IF THERE IS A SPECIFIC MESSAGE THAT WE WANT TO GET ACROSS, FOR EXAMPLE, MAKE SURE TO APPLY FOR YOUR HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS. DID THAT MESSAGE ALSO COME OUT SO BOTH FACTUAL AND THEN WHAT WOULD BE OUR PREFERENCE SHENGHAO WANG: AS TO WHAT HAPPENED AND WHO DOES THE GRADING? IS IT US OR A THIRD PARTY? ME? CYNTHIA MARTINEZ: I GRADE MYSELF. SHENGHAO WANG: OKAY. THAT WORKS. CYNTHIA MARTINEZ: YOU KNOW, TRANSPARENCY. I TRY TO USE MY RESOURCES AS BEST AS I CAN. OUR GOALS FOR 2026 ARE TO MAINTAIN THAT POSITIVE TONE AND ON MESSAGE ELEMENTS AND, OF COURSE, TO MANAGE POLITICALLY SENSITIVE ISSUES, WHICH WE TYPICALLY CAN'T PREDICT HAPPEN, BUT THEY DO TEND TO COME UP, AND THEY TEND TO SURPRISE US. IN TERMS OF DIGITAL MEDIA, WE HAD ANOTHER REALLY GREAT YEAR HERE. WE LAUNCHED THE PROPERTY TAX TRANSPARENCY WORKSHEET, WHICH THE CHIEF APPRAISER INTRODUCED TO YOU ALL ABOUT MID YEAR, I WANT TO SAY, AND THE GOAL OF THAT IS TO HELP POTENTIAL PROPERTY OWNERS TRULY UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT THAT A PROPERTY HAS IN TERMS OF THEIR TAX LIABILITY, SO THAT THERE AREN'T ANY SURPRISES TO THEM. WE ALSO CONTINUED PUBLIC EDUCATION ON YOUR TAXING ENTITY DECISIONS. SO EVEN THOUGH WE ARE NO LONGER REQUIRED TO SEND POSTCARDS OR TO ACTIVELY CONTACT PEOPLE IN TERMS OF BUDGET DECISIONS THAT ARE COMING UP IN AUGUST, WE AGAIN SENT THOSE POSTCARDS AND WE PUT SPECIAL NOTIFICATIONS ON OUR WEBSITE. WHAT WE SAW IS ANOTHER YEAR WHERE WE SAW AN INCREASE IN TRAFFIC ONTO TRAVIS TEXAS.COM SO IT'S A 1.15% INCREASE YEAR OVER YEAR, BUT THAT TRANSLATES INTO 26 POINT 7 MILLION VIEWS ON TRAVIS TAXES.COM WHERE PEOPLE ARE LOOKING UP THEIR PROPERTY AND TRYING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TAXING ENTITY DECISIONS AND HOW THEY'RE GOING TO AFFECT THAT PROPERTY TAX BILL, JETT HANNA: THAT I FELT IT WAS EXTREMELY HELPFUL FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN TAXPAYERS IN THE MIDST OF THE THE ELECTION THAT THEY HAD OVER THE TAX RATE. IT WAS, WAS A GREAT RESOURCE, CYNTHIA MARTINEZ: YES, AND WE DID SEE, WE ARE SEEING A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT THINGS. FIRST, WE'RE SEEING THE NEWS MEDIA START TO PAY A LOT MORE ATTENTION TO THE IMPACT THAT THESE DECISIONS ARE GOING TO HAVE ON PEOPLE'S PROPERTY TAX BILLS, AND SO THAT'S ALWAYS HELPFUL TO US. BUT SECOND, IN REGARDS TO THAT SPECIFIC SITUATION, WE DID SEE SOME PEOPLE COME UP WITH THEIR OWN WEBSITES AND THEIR OWN DATA, TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. AND WHAT WE FOUND WAS THAT A LOT OF TIMES THAT DATA WASN'T NECESSARILY CORRECT, BUT OUR DATA IS BASED ON ACTUAL VALUES AND ACTUAL RATES, SO OURS BECOMES THE RELIABLE ONE. SHENGHAO WANG: AND I JUST WANT TO OBSERVE THAT YOU SAID 26 POINT 7 MILLION. THERE'S 1.3 MILLION TRAVIS COUNTY RESIDENTS. SO ON AVERAGE, EITHER A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM OUTSIDE THE COUNTY ARE COMING AND LOOKING AT IT, OR THE AVERAGE RESIDENT IS LOOKING AT THIS 25 TIMES THE CYNTHIA MARTINEZ: AVERAGE RESIDENT IS ACTUALLY LOOKING AT IT QUITE OFTEN, BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES THEY GO TO IT AND THEY'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND AND THEN THINGS START TO HAPPEN, AND THEN THEY GO TO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN. ONE OF THE ELEMENTS THAT IS TAKING PART IN THAT, OR PLAYING A PART IN THAT, IS THE FACT THAT WE DO HAVE THOSE EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS THAT ARE NOW REQUIRED BY STATE LAW. SO PEOPLE SIGN UP, THEY GET THE NOTIFICATION, THEY GO TO IT THE FIRST TIME, THEN TWO WEEKS LATER, THE TEXTING ENTITY CHANGES. IS DECISIONS. THEY GET [01:45:01] ANOTHER EMAIL NOTIFICATION. SO A LOT OF TIMES THERE ARE REPEAT VISITS FROM A SINGLE PROPERTY OWNER. SHENGHAO WANG: I THINK THAT MEANS IT'S USEFUL, RIGHT? SO I THINK THAT'S A GOOD SIGN. NICOLE CONLEY: WE ALSO ELECTIONS THAT ARE ON THE BALLOT PROPOSITION LANGUAGE. I'M SURE PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE CHECKING THAT, ESPECIALLY WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN ELECTION ABSOLUTELY INCREASING TRAFFIC. CYNTHIA MARTINEZ: THAT'S ALWAYS OUR HOPE. WE ALSO SAW AN INCREASED USE OF VIDEO RESOURCES FOR TAXPAYER EDUCATION. THERE WERE TWO MAIN VIDEOS THAT WE PROMOTED. THE FIRST WAS AN INTRODUCTION TO THAT PROPERTY TAX TRANSPARENCY WORKSHEET, SO HELPING PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE INFORMATION THAT THEY CAN DOWNLOAD. AND THE SECOND, WHICH WE RELEASED AT THE END OF DECEMBER, IS, HOW IS YOUR PROPERTY APPRAISED? AND THAT IS ABOUT A TWO MINUTE VIDEO FEATURING OUR DIRECTOR OF RESIDENTIAL THAT WE DID IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE AUSTIN BOARD OF REALTORS. WE MET WITH ABOR, AND THEY HAD AN INTEREST IN MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE KNOW HOW THEIR PROPERTY IS APPRAISED, AND WE HAVE AN INTEREST IN MAKING SURE HOW THEIR PROPERTY IS APPRAISED. SO THEY ACTUALLY UNDERWROTE THE ENTIRE COST OF PRODUCING THAT VIDEO, WHICH WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR. WE MAINTAINED OUR WEBSITE SECURITY AND RELIABILITY. MS, CARTWRIGHT, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: DO YOU JUST HAVE THOSE TWO VIDEO RESOURCES THAT YOU'RE PROMOTING? CYNTHIA MARTINEZ: THOSE ARE THE TWO BIG ONES THAT WE RELEASED IN 2025 THEY ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES. THOUGH WE HAVE A GOOD LIBRARY, DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, YES. AND I KNOW THERE'S WE KEEP TALKING ABOUT QUESTIONS THAT ARISE ALL THE TIME ABOUT HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS. AND I KNOW THE DISTRICT TRIES DESPERATELY TO GET WORD OUT BY HAVING WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS AND THE LIKE. AND SO I JUST WANT YOU TO MAKE CLARIFY THAT THERE ARE VIDEO RESOURCES REGARDING HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS. CYNTHIA MARTINEZ: YES, WE HAVE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS. WE HAVE A PROTEST PROCESS. WE HAVE HOW TO READ YOUR NOTICE OF APPRAISED VALUE, HOW TO NAVIGATE TRAVIS TAXES.COM WE HAVE PROBABLY ABOUT 20 ACTIVE VIDEOS ON THE WEBSITE RIGHT NOW, AND WE UPDATE THEM EVERY YEAR. SO WHEN WE GET A NEW VERSION OF HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS, WE BUMP OFF THE OLDER VERSION. BUT THEY'RE ALSO ALWAYS AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE, SO IT'S PRETTY EASY TO GOOGLE. IF PEOPLE DON'T FIND THEM ON THEIR WEBSITE NATURALLY, THEN THEY'RE GOING TO FIND THEM VIA GOOGLE. SO WE HAVE MAINTAINED OUR WEBSITE SECURITY AND RELIABILITY. THIS HAS BEEN A PRETTY BIG ISSUE. SOME OF YOU WILL RECALL ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE YEARS AGO, WE GOT HIT WITH SOME CYBER ATTACKS THAT TOOK DOWN OUR WEBSITE, AND THAT'S NEVER A GOOD THING. SO PROUD TO SAY THAT IN 2025 WE ONLY HAD ABOUT 20 MINUTES OF DOWNTIME, AND THEN IT HAPPENED AT THREE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING IN OCTOBER. SO IT REALLY DIDN'T AFFECT TRAFFIC. WE'VE ALSO IMPROVED DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY OF TRAVIS CAD.ORG WE BROUGHT THIS UP SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE LAST YEAR, BUT A NEW DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE RULE DOES REQUIRE THAT ALL OF OUR DIGITAL RESOURCES ARE ACCESSIBLE TO PEOPLE WHO USE ACCESSIBILITY TOOLS TO NAVIGATE ONLINE. A BUNCH OF THE BIG IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE MADE THIS YEAR, INCLUDING WE MOVED TO A NEW CALENDAR INTERFACE THAT IS A LOT MORE ACCESSIBLE. WE HAVE ADDED CLOSED CAPTIONS TO THE BOARD MEETING SO IF SOMEONE WANTS TO WATCH THIS BOARD MEETING, THE CLOSED CAPTIONS WILL ACTUALLY APPEAR LIVE ON THE VIDEO. WE'VE ADDED TRANSCRIPTS OF BOARD MEETINGS, AND WE'VE DONE SOME STAFF STAFF TRAINING INTERNALLY, SO THAT PEOPLE ARE MORE AWARE OF HOW THEY ARE DEVELOPING THEIR DOCUMENTS AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO IN THE FUTURE. OUR GOALS FOR 2026 INCLUDE IMPROVING THOSE VIDEO RESOURCES AND TRYING TO EXPAND UPON THEM. IT'S ALWAYS REALLY GREAT WHEN PEOPLE CAN FIND INFORMATION THEY NEED WHEN THEY NEED IT ON THEIR OWN TIME. SO WE ALWAYS TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ADDING TO THAT, AND THEN, OF COURSE, TO CONTINUE TO ADVANCE OUR WEBSITE RELIABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY. AND SOME OF THE BIG PROJECTS WE HAVE FOR 2026 ARE CHANGING OUR WEBSITE CHAT, WHICH IN DECEMBER, THIS BOARD APPROVED, MOVING TO ANOTHER VENDOR FOR THAT THAT IS GOING TO BE ACCESSIBLE, WORKING ON OUR THIRD PARTY PORTALS, WHICH OUR DEPUTY CHIEF OF OPERATIONS, RUSSELL LEDBETTER IS SPEARHEADING, WORKING ON OUR ONLINE FORMS AND A REALLY BIG ONE PDF REMEDIATION. EVERY SINGLE PDF ON THE WEBSITE NEEDS TO BE ACCESSIBLE, AND THAT IS PROVING TO BE A BEAST OF A JOB WHEN WE HAVE MORE THAN 5000 MAPS ON THE WEBSITE. BUT WE ARE WORKING ON IT, AND WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS. I'M VERY HAPPY WITH THE SOLUTIONS THAT WE ARE COMING UP WITH IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY EDUCATION. THIS WAS ANOTHER GREAT YEAR FOR US. WE INCREASED OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. WE HAD 54 EVENTS. THAT'S AN INCREASE OVER 50 FROM 2024 AND WE REACHED ALMOST 2000 PEOPLE IN PERSON. WE ALSO REACHED AN ADDITIONAL 6200 PEOPLE THROUGH VIRTUAL REPLAYS OF SOME OF OUR VIRTUAL WEBINARS. WE HAVE CONTINUED THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INTERNAL CONTACT TEAM. WE NOW HAVE 30 STAFF MEMBERS WHO ARE TRAINED TO REPRESENT TCAT OFFICIALLY AT THESE COMMUNITY EVENTS, AND THEY ARE DOING AN AMAZING JOB. AND OUR TALLY IS THEY, THEY PUT IN MORE THAN 285 HOURS OF OUTREACH IN 2025 AND MOST OF THAT IS GOING TO BE AFTER HOURS ON THE WEEKENDS. WE ALSO HOSTED A PUBLIC EMPLOYEE EDUCATION PILOT PROJECT. I BROUGHT THIS UP LAST YEAR, BUT IT'S THIS IDEA THAT WE HAVE PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEES THAT ARE INCREASINGLY FINDING IT DIFFICULT TO AFFORD TO LIVE WHERE THEY WORK, AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE COLLABORATE WITH PUBLIC EMPLOYEES AND WITH OUR TAXING ENTITIES TO BE ABLE TO SAY LIKE, HEY, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE EDUCATING PEOPLE, THAT THEY'RE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THEIR HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS, THAT THEY'RE HELPING US MAKE SURE THAT THEIR VALUE. CORRECT, AND HOW DO THEY NAVIGATE THIS PROCESS? GOALS FOR 2026 INCLUDE EXPANDING THAT [01:50:06] PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEE EDUCATION PROGRAM, BUILDING AN INFRASTRUCTURE TO PROMOTE THE NEWLY ADOPTED DESTROYED BY FIRE EXEMPTION, WHICH OPERATES VERY SIMILARLY TO THE DISASTER EXEMPTION. SO IF YOU LOSE YOUR HOME IN A FIRE, IF IT'S NO LONGER INHABITABLE YOU ARE, WE ARE AUTHORIZED TO GRANT YOU AN EXEMPTION THAT ESSENTIALLY TAKES OUT THE IMPROVEMENT VALUE FOR THE PORTION OF THE YEAR. SO WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO LAY THE FRAMEWORK SO THAT IF SOMEONE IS IN THAT SITUATION, WE'RE ONE OF THE RESOURCES THAT THEY KNOW TO GO TO PRETTY QUICKLY. WE'RE ALSO GOING TO INCREASE OUR OFFICE HOURS THROUGHOUT TRAVIS COUNTY. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE ADOPTED WHEN WE WERE STARTING TO DO OUR WORK IN SANDY CREEK AFTER THE FLOODS, THE IDEA THAT WE NEED TO BE IN COMMUNITIES, AND WE NEED TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO ACCESS US ON THEIR OWN TIME IN THEIR ACTUAL COMMUNITY. THEY CAN'T ALWAYS COME HERE. SO WE ARE GOING TO TRY AND DO SOME MORE OF THE THAT REMOTE WORK THROUGHOUT 2026 AND ALSO LAUNCHING A RENDITION CLINIC AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNER SUPPORT MODEL, WHICH WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF BUILDING RIGHT NOW, WITH RENDITIONS DUE IN APRIL, AND WE ARE GOING TO BE DOING OFFICE HOURS IN THE OFFICE SO SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS CAN SIGN UP. THEY CAN SIT DOWN WITH A MEMBER OF OUR BUSINESS PERSONAL PROPERTY DEPARTMENT. THEY CAN GET ONE ON ONE HELP FILLING OUT THEIR RENDITIONS. IN TERMS OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES, THESE TEND TO BE LARGER ISSUES, MULTI DEPARTMENT ISSUES, BUT WE HAD SOME REALLY GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS HERE AS WELL. WE HAVE CONSISTENTLY SEEN SOME CONCERNS ABOUT HOW OWNERS OF MOBILE HOMES ARE ABLE TO NAVIGATE THE PROCESS OF CHANGING OWNERSHIP OR SELLING A HOME OR JUST UPDATING RECORDS, AND SO WE WORKED ALONGSIDE THE TAX OFFICE AND THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT ALL THREE AGENCIES WERE IN LINE AND THAT MOBILE HOME OWNERS NOW KNOW EXACTLY, STEP BY STEP, WHERE THEY NEED TO GO TO MAKE SURE THEIR RECORDS ARE GOOD, WE HAVE DEVELOPED RELATIONSHIPS WITH NEW COMMUNITY PARTNERS. PROBABLY THE BIGGEST ONE, WHICH WAS ANNOUNCED TO Y'ALL AT THE BEGINNING OF 2025 IS THE AUSTIN BOARD OF REALTORS, AND CONTINUING TO MEND THAT RELATIONSHIP AND MAKE SURE THAT IT GOES TO THE BENEFIT OF TRAVIS COUNTY PROPERTY OWNERS. WE ALSO HAD A LOT OF NEW COMMUNITY PARTNERS OUT IN SANDY CREEK THAT WERE CRITICAL TO HELPING US REACH OUT TO THOSE PROPERTY OWNERS WHO A LOT OF THEM JUST WEREN'T AROUND ANYMORE BECAUSE THEIR HOMES WEREN'T INHABITABLE. WE HAD CONTINUED TO IMPROVE OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR TAXING ENTITIES, NOT ONLY IN TERMS OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEE EDUCATION, BUT ALSO IN TERMS OF RESPONSIVENESS. A LOT OF TIMES, PEOPLE, PROPERTY OWNERS, WHO ARE FACING ISSUES, WILL GO TO THEIR ELECTED OFFICIALS FOR HELP, AND SO MAKING SURE THAT WE'VE DEVELOPED A COMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE WHERE THOSE ELECTED OFFICIALS KNOW THAT THEY CAN DIRECT THOSE CONSTITUENTS PRETTY EASILY, AND WE'RE REALLY RESPONSIVE. WE'VE BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR TRANSPARENCY AND WORKPLACE CULTURE. THIS PARTICULARLY GOES TO GETTING TWO TRANSPARENCY STARS FROM THE OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER, ONE IN OPEN GOVERNMENT AND ONE IN PUBLIC PENSIONS. WE HAVE CONTINUED TO IMPROVE OUR OPERATIONS THROUGH THE TAXPAYER SATISFACTION PROJECT. SO THAT IS OUR SURVEY TOOL THAT WE USE ANYONE WHO INTERACTS WITH US IN ANY WAY. YOU GET A SURVEY, YOU GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMPLETE IT AND LET US KNOW HOW WELL OR HOW NOT WELL WE DID. AND WE ALWAYS REVIEW THOSE SURVEYS, AND WE DIRECT THOSE COMMENTS TO OUR DIRECTORS, AND WE USE THEM TO PINPOINT WHETHER WE HAVE ISSUES THAT WE NEED TO RESOLVE, INTERNALLY, TRAINING PROCESSES, THAT NEED TO BE BETTER, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. THESE LAST TWO POINTS ARE HIGHLIGHTED IN THE REPORT WITH ONE PAGE OF FOCUSES, BECAUSE I THINK THEY'RE BOTH REALLY IMPORTANT IN AND OF THEMSELVES, BUT WE HAVE CONTINUED TO REDUCE THE EXEMPTION DEFICIT ACROSS TRAVIS COUNTY. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE EXEMPTION DEFICIT, WE TALK ABOUT US CENSUS ESTIMATES ON OWNER OCCUPIED UNITS BY ZIP CODE, AND WE COMPARE THAT TO THE AMOUNT OF HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS WE ACTUALLY HAVE IN EACH ZIP CODE, AND WE THEN USE THAT TO DIRECT OUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH, BECAUSE THE BASIS OF OR THE BASIC ELEMENT OF PARTICIPATING IN THE PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM IS CLAIMING YOUR HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. IF YOU'RE NOT CLAIMING YOUR HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH IN PROPERTY TAXES, AND NO ONE SHOULD BE DOING THAT WILLINGLY. SO IF YOU'RE NOT CLAIMING YOUR HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, WE KNOW THERE'S AN EDUCATION ISSUE IN THAT ZIP CODE. WE USE THAT TO TARGET OUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH, AND I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT LAST YEAR, WE ACTUALLY REDUCED THE EXEMPTION DEFICIT BY MORE THAN 1200 PROPERTIES ACROSS THE COUNTY. AND SO WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT WORK. AND THEN THE LAST POINT, WHICH I HAVE BROUGHT UP SEVERAL TIMES, IS OUR WORK IN SANDY CREEK THAT OBVIOUSLY WASN'T SOMETHING THAT WE PLANNED FOR IN JANUARY, AND IT WAS A DISASTER THAT WAS REALLY UNPRECEDENTED. IT WAS UNLIKE ANYTHING WE'D EVER SEEN, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE DISASTER EXEMPTION OPTION BECAME AVAILABLE FOR PROPERTY OWNERS. BUT I'M REALLY PROUD TO SAY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GO IN THERE, THAT WE WERE ABLE TO BUILD TRUST. THIS IS A COMMUNITY THAT DEFINITELY FELT NEGLECTED BY GOVERNMENT. THEY WERE VERY ANGRY. THEY WERE SOMETIMES NOT VERY FRIENDLY. I DEFINITELY GOT KICKED OUT OF A COUPLE BUILDINGS MORE THAN ONCE, BUT YOU KICKED ME OUT TODAY, AND I'M STILL COMING BACK TOMORROW, AND THE REST OF THE STAFF IN THIS BUILDING WAS THERE WITH ME. SO YOU THE LAST TIME THAT WE WERE THERE, WE HAD PEOPLE STOPPING BY LITERALLY JUST TO SAY THANK YOU. THEY DIDN'T NEED ANY MORE HELP, BECAUSE WE'D HELP THEM AS MUCH AS WE COULD. BUT THEY JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU, AND WE ARE GOING TO BE BACK OUT THERE IN A. APRIL TO HELP THOSE FOLKS UNDERSTAND THEIR NOTICES, TO [01:55:02] CHECK TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THEIR PROPERTY CHARACTERISTICS CORRECT, AND SO THAT WE'VE APPRAISED THEM PROPERLY FOR 2026 AND THEN TO GUIDE THEM THROUGH THE PROTEST PROCESS, SO THAT, HEY, IF WE DIDN'T GET IT RIGHT, WE'LL BE ABLE TO FIX IT, KIND OF GOING INTO GOALS FOR 2026 AGAIN, JUST CONTINUING TO IMPROVE ALL OF THOSE ELEMENTS THAT I JUST HIGHLIGHTED, WE'RE LOOKING AT TWO ADDITIONAL TRANSPARENCY STARS FROM THE OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER. WE'LL BE FOCUSING ON TRADITIONAL FINANCE AND CONTRACTS, AND SO I'LL BE WORKING WITH CAT HARVEY, OUR DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION, ON THOSE BUT AGAIN, JUST CONTINUING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE SHOWING UP FOR PROPERTY OWNERS, THAT WE ARE LISTENING TO THEIR CONCERNS, THAT WE ARE TRYING TO MAKE THE PROCESS AS EASY TO UNDERSTAND AND EASY TO NAVIGATE AS POSSIBLE AND JUST BEING RESPONSIVE AS WELL AS WE CAN. NICOLE CONLEY: THANK YOU. MISS MARTINEZ, ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM THE FROM THE BOARD? MR. WANG. SHENGHAO WANG: JUST SOME COMMENTS. I WANT TO COMMEND YOU AND THE STAFF, ESPECIALLY FOR THE AFTER HOURS, COMMUNITY OUTREACH TO TAXPAYERS. YOU'LL HAVE SOME MORE HELP WITH THAT, WITH THE TLO, OR THE NEW, THE NEWLY RECONSTITUTED TLO POSITION FOR THIS YEAR. AND YOU KNOW BEING IN YOU, IN PARTICULAR, CYNTHIA, FOR BEING BRAVE ENOUGH TO GO BACK AFTER SANDY CREEK FOLKS KICK YOU OUT. YOU KNOW, I THINK THE ELECTED MEMBERS OF THIS BOARD SOMETIMES KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO FACE FRUSTRATED CONSTITUENTS, OR, YOU KNOW, IN THIS CASE, TAXPAYERS, AND IT'S NOT EASY, AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR, YOU KNOW, TAKING ON THAT BURDEN AND, YOU KNOW, TAKING THAT INITIATIVE AND THAT EXTRA STEP OF SERVING THE TAXPAYERS EVEN WHEN THEY'RE FRUSTRATED. CYNTHIA MARTINEZ: I'D ALSO ADD TO THANK THE CHIEF APPRAISER, BECAUSE EVERY TIME THAT HAPPENED, I CALLED HER AND I WAS LIKE LEANNA, I GOT KICKED SHENGHAO WANG: AND KUDOS TO MISS MANN AS WELL. NICOLE CONLEY: MISS CARTWRIGHT. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: IS THERE ANY OTHER PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT OR OTHER EFFORTS THAT COULD BE MADE TO HELP WITH HOMESTEAD EXEMPTIONS. I KNOW I HARP ON THIS ALL THE TIME, BUT YOU DO LOTS OF CREATIVE THINGS. SOME OF WHAT WE DO ON ONLINE, ELSEWHERE, IS REALLY COMMENDABLE. BUT IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT WOULD COST MONEY THAT THE BOARD WOULD HAVE TO APPROVE THAT YOU THINK WOULD BE USEFUL? CYNTHIA MARTINEZ: I MEAN, WE COULD LOOK AT ADVERTISING, BUT YES, THAT WOULD COST MONEY. IF WE GIVE A TV STATION A PSA TO RUN, THEY'RE PROBABLY GOING TO RUN IT AT THREE, FOUR O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING. SO IT'S NOT GOING TO BE VERY CONDUCIVE. SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT TARGETED ADVERTISING. THERE IS AN ELEMENT TO THAT THAT IS VERY DIFFICULT FOR US AS A GOVERNMENT AGENCY, BECAUSE THE IDEA WOULD BE TO GO DIGITAL FIRST, RIGHT? UNFORTUNATELY, WE ARE A GOVERNMENT AGENCY, AND WE DEAL WITH THE HOUSING SECTOR, SO OUR TARGETED ADVERTISING, ADVERTISING IS A LOT OF TIMES LIMITED BY LAW, BECAUSE WE CANNOT BE DISCRIMINATORY IN OUR ADVERTISING. SO IT MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT FOR US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE AREN'T WASTING MONEY IN THAT. WHEN I FIRST STARTED HERE, WE DID TRY TO DO A LOT OF THAT, BUT AFTER A WHILE, IT JUST WAS NOT EFFICIENT FOR US, BECAUSE WE COULDN'T TARGET IT THE WAY THAT I NEEDED TO TARGET IT TO MAKE SURE THAT AS A GOVERNMENT AGENCY, WE ARE BEING RESPONSIBLE WITH TAXPAYER FUNDS AND NOT WASTING MONEY. DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: IN THAT REGARD, WOULD THE AUSTIN BOARD OF REALTORS BE ABLE TO DO MORE TO ASSIST IN THAT EFFORT? CYNTHIA MARTINEZ: I CAN CERTAINLY ASK, AND I'M SURE THAT THEY WOULD, DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: WELL, THEY'RE IN A POSITION, IF SELLING HOUSES THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO TO HELP WITH WITH THE EXEMPTION PROCESS, AND I KNOW OUR STAFF DOES ALL IT CAN AND YOU DO, BUT IF WE COULD GET THIRD PARTIES TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR EFFORTS, IT WOULD REALLY BE WONDERFUL. NICOLE CONLEY: MR. HANNA AND THEN MR. WANG JETT HANNA: YES, I JUST WANTED TO SEE IF THERE'S BEEN ANY OUTREACH TO TITLE COMPANIES. CYNTHIA MARTINEZ: YES, WE HAVE IN THE PAST. WE DO THAT REGULARLY. SO WE LOOK AT REALTORS, WE LOOK AT TITLE COMPANIES, AND WE LOOK AT LENDERS. WE ARE ACTUALLY IN THE PROCESS. IT'S KIND OF OVERWHELMING, BECAUSE THANKSGIVING HAPPENED, AND THEN THE MONDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING, I WAS HIT WITH A BARRAGE OF EMAILS FROM TITLE COMPANIES AND LENDERS AND OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS, WHO ARE ALL ALREADY TRYING TO GET ON OUR CALENDAR SO WE CAN DO THOSE EVENTS. SO WE ARE TAKING THOSE REQUESTS, WE ARE INITIATING OUR OWN INQUIRIES, AND WE ARE TRYING TO GET THINGS SCHEDULED, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT, AGAIN, THE PEOPLE AT THE FRONT LINE, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE HELPING THE PROPERTY OWNER FROM THE BEGINNING, ARE EDUCATED, HAVE THE RESOURCES AND CAN DIRECT THEM TO US. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE REALLY PROUD OF, FOR EXAMPLE, IS AMPLIFY OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH AMPLIFY CREDIT UNION. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY DO IS WE HAVE A PROPERTY OWNER TOOLKIT ON OUR WEBSITE THAT HAS A SPECIAL LINK JUST FOR AMPLIFY CUSTOMERS. AND IF YOU BUY A HOST, BUY A HOUSE AND YOU USE THEM AS YOUR LENDER, YOU START TO GET EMAILS AFTER YOU SIGN YOUR MORTGAGE PAPERS THAT TELL YOU, LIKE, HEY. THE NEXT STEP IS TO DO THIS. THE NEXT STEP IS TO DO THAT. WELL. OF THOSE EMAILS THAT YOU GET WITHIN [02:00:04] THE FIRST SIX WEEKS AFTER YOU SIGN YOUR PAPERWORK IS DON'T FORGET TO APPLY FOR YOUR HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION. AND IT'S A LINK SPECIFICALLY TO THIS PAGE ON OUR WEBSITE THAT TELLS THEM UPDATE YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE. HERE'S THE FORM, HERE'S THE CONTACT FOR TCAD, THAT KIND OF THING. SO WE ALWAYS LOVE THOSE KINDS OF RELATIONSHIPS. IT DOES TAKE A LOT OF TIME TO GET THERE, BUT WE DO OUR BEST. SHENGHAO WANG: SO MISS CARTWRIGHT AND MR. HANNAH, BEAT ME TO MY ORIGINAL QUESTION, BUT I GUESS I HAVE A FOLLOW UP, WHICH IS, WHAT PROPORTION OF THOSE TRANSACTIONS ARE HANDLED BY AMPLIFY AS A LENDER? CYNTHIA MARTINEZ: THAT IS A REALLY GREAT QUESTION THAT I DO NOT HAVE AN ANSWER FOR YOU. IS A BALLPARK. IS IT LIKE 1% 10% I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO TRY TO GUESS. I'M SORRY. ALL RIGHT. SHENGHAO WANG: WELL, HOPEFULLY, IF ANY LENDERS ARE PAYING ATTENTION, THAT THEY WILL CONSIDER DOING THAT AS WELL. NICOLE CONLEY: WELL, THANK YOU. MS MARTINEZ, I COMMEND YOU NOT ANSWERING NUMBERS ON THE FLY. THAT'S PROBABLY GOOD ADVICE GOING FORWARD, I WILL SAY THAT EVERY YEAR, YOU JUST KEEP IT GETTING BETTER AND BETTER. YOU KNOW, NOT TO YOU KNOW BOTH YOU AND MISS MAN, BUT DEFINITELY YOU. PERSONALLY, I'VE SEEN YOU ON THE FRONT LINE REALLY JUST DEEPENING OUR RELATIONSHIPS AND REALLY REPRESENTING OUR COMMUNITY AND REALLY, REALLY BUILDING OUR ENGAGEMENT. SO THANK YOU FOR THAT WORK. I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT WE HAVE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS LIKE WITH AMPLIFY, I COULD SEE THAT BEING MIRRORED ACROSS MANY BANKS. SO THAT'S REALLY GREAT, AND I JUST COMMEND YOU ON YOUR GOOD WORK. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. NOW MOVING ON TO ITEM 9J, DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE CHIEF APPRAISALS REPORT TO INCLUDE THE 2025 ANNUAL REPORT, PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF THE 2025 METHODS AND ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. MAP, REVIEW 2026 HOMESTEAD VERIFICATION PROGRAM, COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND TAXPAYER EXPERIENCE SNAPSHOT, ALL BEING PRESENTED BY OUR OWN MS, MANN, [9j: Discussion and Possible Action on Chief Appraiser's Report] THANK YOU. LEANA MANN: TO START OFF, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A LOOK BACK AT WHERE WE WERE IN 2025 I'LL GIVE YOU SOME HIGHLIGHTS AS A REMINDER. 2025 WAS OUR SECOND YEAR THAT WE SAW VALUES DECREASE IN TRAVIS COUNTY. WE SAW A POINT THREE 6% REDUCTION IN VALUES LAST YEAR. WE ALSO SAW AN INCREASE OF ABOUT 5000 ACCOUNTS NET AND AGAIN, THAT MARKET VALUE DECLINE WAS ABOUT POINT THREE, 6% WE HAD A RECORD NUMBER OF PROTESTS. I KNOW I SAY THAT EVERY YEAR, BUT WE HAD 210,000 PROTESTS THIS YEAR. I THINK THIS IS INTERESTING TO SEE ALSO THE INCREASED PERCENTAGES YEAR OVER YEAR. AND IF YOU PARALLEL THAT WITH THE VALUE INCREASE, THERE'S NO CORRELATION. SO WE HAD A VALUE REDUCTION IN 2025 BUT WE SAW A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PROTESTS FILED, ALSO THE DISTRIBUTION OF OUR APPEALS FILED, PREDOMINANTLY AGENT DRIVEN. WE HAD 86% OF OUR PROTESTS FILED BY PROPERTY TAX AGENTS AND 14% FILED BY HOMEOWNERS. INTERESTINGLY, WE SAW THE HOMEOWNER PERCENTAGE DECREASE PRETTY SUBSTANTIALLY IN 2025 BUT THE AGENTS PICKED UP THOSE ACCOUNTS. SHENGHAO WANG: QUICK QUESTION. I SEE THAT THERE'S A LOT MORE AGENT FILED, SO 86% ARE AGENT FILED, BUT ONLY 71% ARE ELECTRONICALLY FILED. SO ARE THESE AGENTS FILING A BUNCH OF PAPER PROTESTS? LEANA MANN: NO, THERE WERE SOME ISSUES EARLY ON WITH SOME OF THE NEWER AGENTS THAT WEREN'T ABLE TO FILE EFFICIENTLY THROUGH THE PORTAL. WE WORK WITH THEM THROUGH THAT PROCESS. IT'S USUALLY AN EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY WHERE WE CAN HELP THEM LEARN THE SYSTEM. WE SAW A DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF ELECTRONICALLY FILED THIS YEAR. WE WERE AT ABOUT 73 OR 74% 2024, SO WE SAW A REDUCTION. WE'RE LOOKING AT SOME THINGS ON OUR PROPERTY OWNER AND AGENT PORTAL THAT WE CAN IMPROVE FOR THIS UPCOMING SEASON. WE HAVE QUITE A FEW TICKETS IN WITH OUR VENDOR TO FIX JUST MINOR THINGS. FOR EXAMPLE, WE'RE GOING TO BE ADDING SOME RESOURCES AT THE TOP OF THE PORTAL, SOME AGENT RESOURCES, PDF HANDOUTS, VIDEOS THAT HELP THEM NAVIGATE THAT PORTAL. SO BECAUSE SHENGHAO WANG: I HAVE TO IMAGINE, IT'S JUST EASIER ON ALL PARTIES, PROBABLY, TO ELECTRONICALLY FILE THAN TO HAVE TO SCAN THE PAPER AND PDF IT AND ALL THAT. LEANA MANN: SO IT'S ALL YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO ALL THAT. YOU JUST HAVE TO FILL OUT FOR Y'ALL. I MEAN, THE FORM, YES, IT IS MUCH QUICKER FOR US. ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT'S COME UP OVER THE LAST FEW LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS IS THEY CREATED THIS PROCESS OF SCHEDULING 20 ACCOUNTS FOR A PROPERTY AGENT SO THEY CAN DICTATE WHICH 20 ACCOUNTS THEY WANT SCHEDULED SAME DATE AND TIME WHICH SOUNDS, IN THEORY, LIKE AN EFFICIENCY. IT WOULD IMPROVE THE PROCESS. HOWEVER, THE FILING OF 20 ACCOUNTS AT A TIME FOR A PROTEST WHEN YOU HAVE. 1000 ACCOUNTS IS NOT EFFICIENT, AND SO A LOT OF TIMES THEY'LL THEY'LL DO THOSE [02:05:04] NOT ELECTRONICALLY. WE'RE LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN IMPROVE THAT PROCESS, THE DISTRIBUTION OF MARKET VALUES. SO AS YOU SEE, CAN SEE HERE, WE HAVE ABOUT A 5050, SPLIT. IF YOU LOOK AT THE PROTEST BY VALUE BETWEEN COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL, IF YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF APPEALS FILED, RESIDENTIAL IS THE MAJORITY OF OUR PROTEST AT 90% THE RESOLUTION OF THE PROTEST. THIS SHOWS THE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT A PROTEST CAN BE CLOSED. FOR EXAMPLE, A FORMAL ARB HEARING THAT CONSTITUTED ABOUT 11% OF OUR PROTEST. THE INFORMAL MEETING WITH OUR APPRAISER WAS ABOUT 13% OF TOTAL PROTESTS, AND THE TOP LINES WERE AT 69% SO IF YOU LOOK AT KIND OF THE RESPONSIBLE PARTY, FOR EXAMPLE, THE ARB IS THE MANAGER OF THOSE FORMAL ARB HEARINGS. THEY FINALIZED ABOUT 11% OF THE PROTEST, AND THE CAD HANDLED ABOUT 82% OF THE PROTEST BY COUNT, NOT BY VOLUME. I'M SORRY, BY COUNT, NOT BY VALUE. THIS HERE SHOWS THE LITIGATION. IT GIVES YOU A 10 YEAR LOOK FOR 2025 WE HAD 2431 LITIGATION CAUSE NUMBERS FILED. THAT IS ONLY WE SAW A DECLINE IN NUMBERS FILED FOR 2025 SO WE SAW A 3% DECLINE IN LITIGATION FILED, HOWEVER, WE'RE STILL EXPERIENCING ABOUT A 200% INCREASE IF YOU LOOK AT THE LAST 10 YEARS. SO LITIGATION IS GROWING SUBSTANTIALLY. THERE ARE A LOT OF CHANGES IN THE COURT SYSTEM THAT ARE COMING UP THAT'S ALSO GOING TO PUT SOME COMPOUNDED PRESSURE ON OUR STAFF. SO THIS IS AN AREA WE'RE REALLY KEEPING A CLOSE TAB ON. SO FOR 2025 AS A REMINDER, WE GO THROUGH A COMPTROLLER REVIEW EVERY YEAR. ONE YEAR YOU DO YOUR MAP REVIEW YOUR METHODS AND PROCEDURES, METHODS AND ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, WHERE THEY LOOK AT OUR PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES, AND THEN THE OTHER YEAR, WE HAVE A VALUE STUDY THROUGH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT PROPERTY VALUE STUDY. SO 2025 WAS OUR MAP REVIEW, AND WE ARE HAPPY TO REPORT THAT WE PASSED ALL MANDATORY ITEMS, AND WE RECEIVED 100 POINTS OUT OF 100 POSSIBLE. SO WE GOT A PERFECT SCORE ON OUR MAP REVIEW. AND I WANT TO THANK ALL OF THE DIRECTORS AT TCAD FOR HELPING US THROUGH THIS PROCESS. THERE WERE MANY NEW QUESTIONS ON THIS YEAR'S MAP REVIEW, AND SO THEY WERE, THEY DID A FABULOUS JOB GATHERING DATA, HELPING ENSURE THAT WE WERE MEETING PROCESSES BEFORE WE GOT TO OUR REVIEW, SO THAT ANY CORRECTIONS COULD BE MADE AHEAD OF THE REVIEW ARE COMING. SO THEY DID A WONDERFUL JOB, AND I REALLY THANK THEM FOR ALL THEIR HARD WORK ON THAT. WE ALSO KICKED OFF OUR 2026 HOMESTEAD VERIFICATION PROJECT. THE BOARD WAS GRACIOUS TO APPROVE THE CONTRACT WITH TRURO, WHO IS HELPING US WITH OUR VERIFICATION PROGRAM. WE STARTED IN JANUARY, AND WE ARE 99.5% COMPLETE. WE HAVE REVIEWED. THE TOTAL SCOPE OF THE AUDIT WAS 78,000 ACCOUNTS. WE REVIEWED 77,000 ALREADY. WE HAVE 7700 OUTSTANDING WHERE WE'VE REQUESTED SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM THE PROPERTY OWNER. WHAT'S BEEN REALLY HELPFUL WITH THIS PROCESS AND SURPRISING FOR US, LAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION, THEY PASSED A LAW THAT REQUIRES US TO PROVIDE A REASON THAT WE'RE REMOVING THE EXEMPTION. TAXPAYERS ARE REALLY NOT HAPPY ABOUT THIS. WE FRAMED OUR VERIFICATION PROGRAM AS IT'S NOT AN AUDIT. WE'RE JUST HELPING ENSURE THAT YOU STILL MEET THE QUALIFICATIONS. AND THIS YEAR, WHEN WE HAD TO ADD THAT DENIAL OR THE REASON WE SUSPECT THAT YOUR EXEMPTION DOESN'T QUALIFY ANYMORE. IT TURNS A VERY PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATION INTO ALMOST AN ASSUMPTION THAT WE'RE ACCUSING THEM OF SOMETHING. AND SO THE COMMUNICATION THAT SURROUNDED THAT THIS YEAR HAS BEEN REALLY INTERESTING. IT WAS HAS CHANGED SUBSTANTIALLY, AND THAT'S THE ONLY THING IN LAW THAT'S REALLY CHANGED. SO AS OF RIGHT NOW, WE'VE ONLY REMOVED ABOUT 700 EXEMPTIONS. THESE WERE ACCOUNTS THAT WERE FLAGGED FOR HAVING HOMESTEADS IN OTHER COUNTIES. AND THEN ONCE WE GET RESPONSES BACK, THEY HAVE 30 DAYS TO RESPOND IF WE REQUEST ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, THEN WE'LL REVIEW THOSE AND MAKE DETERMINATIONS ON IF THEY STILL QUALIFY. AND AS CYNTHIA STATED, OUR COMMUNITY OUTREACH CALENDAR IS STACKING UP QUICKLY. WE HAVE A LOT OF EVENTS IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH. THIS IS ALSO THE TIME WE START TALKING ABOUT VALUES AND PROTESTING. SO WE GET A LOT OF REQUESTS. AS SHE MENTIONED, WE'RE DOING SOME DEL VALLEY OFFICE DAYS WHERE WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO MEET THE. PROPERTY OWNERS IN THEIR COMMUNITY, HOPEFULLY [02:10:02] HELPING EASE THAT BURDEN OF COMING TO OUR OFFICE. WE'RE ALSO ADDING A WEBINAR ON RENDITIONS ON THE 25TH THIS IS WE DID THIS WEBINAR LAST YEAR. WE'VE EXPANDED IT THIS YEAR. THEY'RE GOING TO ADD SOME OFFICE HOURS TO HELP. BUT THAT'S FEBRUARY 25 AND THEN THIS ON THE 21ST THIS COMING SATURDAY, WE HAVE THE PFLUGERVILLE EXEMPTION CLINIC. SO THAT'LL BE AT 10AM AT THE LIBRARY. IS THAT CORRECT? CYNTHIA, THE LIBRARY IN PFLUGERVILLE, AND WE CAN HELP PEOPLE WITH THEIR EXEMPTION APPLICATIONS. WE CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS FOR THEM, AND WE'LL BE THERE FROM 10 TO 12. AND THEN I'VE ALSO PROVIDED IN THE PRESENTATION MARCH AND APRIL DATES, YOU MENTIONED TITLE COMPANIES JET WE HAVE PATENT TITLE THAT WE'VE WORKED WITH IN THE PAST. WE'RE GOING TO DO A NOTICES AND PROTEST PRESENTATION FOR THEM ON APRIL 8. AND THEN OUR TAXPAYER EXPERIENCE SNAPSHOT. WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR 2025 YEAR IN REVIEW, AND WE'RE REALLY HAPPY TO REPORT THAT ALL AREAS THAT WE MEASURE SAW AN IMPROVED SCORE FOR 2025 SO FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, THEY'RE AT A 4.64 OUT OF 590. 2% OF RESPONSES SAY THAT OUR STAFF ARE PROFESSIONAL AND COURTEOUS AND THAT THEY ARE GETTING THEIR ANSWERS WHEN THEY CALL. AVERAGE EXEMPTION PROCESSING TIME IS AT 18 DAYS, AND OUR CALL WAIT TIME IS ABOUT FIVE AND A HALF MINUTES. AND I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT FIVE MINUTES IS DURING TAX BILL SEASON. SO THAT IT'S THAT'S A GREAT NUMBER. WE GET A LOT OF CALLS DURING TAX BILL SEASON BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT FUNCTION THE TAX OFFICE DOES, WHAT FUNCTION THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT DOES, AND SO OUR CALL VOLUME SPIKES, AND THE FACT THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO KEEP THAT CALL WAIT TIME AT FIVE MINUTES IS VERY IMPRESSIVE. SHENGHAO WANG: SO JUST A QUICK QUESTION, IS THAT FIVE AND A HALF, WHAT'S THE TIME PERIOD THAT WE'RE COVERING FOR? IS THIS A MONTHLY REPORT, OR LEANA MANN: THIS IS THE JANUARY 1? SHENGHAO WANG: OKAY, THAT IS PRETTY NICOLE CONLEY: ANY QUESTIONS, ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. MS MANN, I THINK WE MIGHT HAVE TIME TO REVIEW OUR LAST ITEM ON LITIGATIONS AND JUST GET A QUICK UPDATE BEFORE WE'RE SCHEDULED TO [9k: Discussion and Possible Action on Litigation and Appeals Related to Pending and Anticipated Lawsuits] ADJOURN THE BOARD MEETING, IF MY FELLOW COLLEAGUES WILL ALLOW US TO EXPEDITIOUSLY HEAR FROM GOING TO EXECUTIVE SESSION. CAN WE ACCOMPLISH THAT? ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT. SO OUR NEXT ITEM, WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS LITIGATION AND APPEALS. THIS ITEM WILL BE TAKEN UP IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. THE BOARD MAY MEET AN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DELIBERATE ON ANY MATTER AUTHORIZED BY TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551, DOT 001, OF THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT CITING SECTION 551, DOT 071, CONSULTATION WITH OUR ATTORNEY REGARDING PENDING AND CONTEMPLATED LITIGATION, SETTLEMENT OFFERS AND MATTERS IN WHICH THE ATTORNEY HAS A DUTY TO ADVISE THE BOARD UNDER TEXAS DISCIPLINARY RULES AND PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT AT THE STATE BAR OF TEXAS. AT THIS POINT, CAN WE GET A MOTION TO MOVE INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION? MOVED BY MS MONTOYA, SECOND BY MR. WANG. ALL APPROVED BY THE BOARD. ALL IN FAVOR. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU. WE'RE GOING INTO AT THIS TIME, WE'RE GOING TO EXECUTIVE SESSION. [02:46:26] DEBORAH CARTWRIGHT: THE TIME IS 02:15 PM, AND THE TRAVIS CENTRAL [02:46:29] APPRAISAL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS RETURNED FROM [10. Adjournment] [02:46:33] EXECUTIVE SESSION. NO VOTES WERE NEEDED ON ITEMS THAT WERE [02:46:38] DISCUSSED. WE HAVE REACHED ITEM 9L. IS THAT AN L OR I THINK IT [02:46:43] IS L ADJOURNMENT. BEFORE I ENTERTAIN THAT MOTION, I'D LIKE [02:46:47] TO ANNOUNCE THAT OUR NEXT BOARD MEETING WILL BE ON THURSDAY, [02:46:52] MARCH 12, 2026, AT 11:30AM AND FOR THE RECORD, THIS IS DEBBIE CARTWRIGHT, OUR CHAIRWOMAN, NICOLE CONLEY, HAD TO LEAVE US FOR A BUSINESS TRIP THAT SHE'S ON, SO I'VE TAKEN OVER THE CHAIRMANSHIP FOR JUST A MOMENT. DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? HAVE A MOTION FOR MR. WANG A SECOND FROM MS MONTOYA. ALL IS IN FAVOR, AYE. ANY OPPOSED, IT'S PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. THE MEETING IS ADJOURNED AT 2:19PM. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.