The Tarrant Appraisal District has terminated top-level executive Cal Wood after a recording of Wood suggested “creating a false narrative that distances the truth from the media.”
In a statement, TAD said the comments made by Wood are “completely unrepresentative of the values held” by the agency.
“TAD apologizes for the confusion these statements have caused and remains committed to providing the public and members of the media with accurate and timely information,” the statement said.
The decision came just a day after the mayors of three cities in Tarrant County — Colleyville, Keller and Southlake — issued a joint letter calling for the resignation of chief appraiser Jeff Law as a result of the leaked recording.
The Tarrant County Commissioners Court will discuss taking a vote of no confidence for Law during their meeting on Aug. 29.
TAD has been at the center of several controversies since last summer.
In June 2022, Randy Armstrong, a director at the appraisal district, was investigated for potentially abusing his position to file a complaint against a tax consultant and was suspended as a result.
The board of directors was also found in violation of the Open Meetings Act that same month after locking out speakers who had shown up in support of the tax consultant. Law was suspended for two weeks as a result of this incident.
In March, TAD made headlines again when the board’s chair, Kathryn Wilemon, resigned amid calls for a recall of her seat, raising legal questions. She was eventually replaced after the city of Keller threatened a lawsuit against the appraisal district. The board also voted to keep Law employed as chief appraiser following this series of events.
Editor’s note: This story was updated Aug. 25 to include news of the Tarrant County Commissioners Court’s vote of no confidence.
Sandra Sadek is a Report for America corps member, covering growth for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at sandra.sadek@fortworthreport.org or on Twitter at@ssadek19.