Attorney Matthew Tepper said the board did not have a choice in approving the election because of Senate Bill 2, which was approved in July and went into effect Jan. 1. Counties with a population over 75,000 will have their boards of directors increased by three members, who will be elected by voters to staggered four-year terms, the bill says.
The details
In a special meeting Dec. 21, the TAD board voted to move all unspent funding from the fiscal year 2022-23 budget to a fund to pay for an anticipated election that was an unfunded mandate from the state, according to documents.
The election would turn the board of five members into a board of nine. Wendy Burgess, Tarrant County tax assessor-collector, sits on the board but is an ex officio, nonvoting member of the board. The change would give her a vote, accounting for the ninth spot.
The five board members are elected by taxing entities in the county, such as school board members, city and town council members, Tarrant County commissioners and Tarrant County College's board of trustees.
What else?
Winners of the election will take office July 1 and will serve until Dec. 31, 2026. After the May election, the three spots will be filled during future general elections held in November.
The time frame for filing to be on the ballot runs from Jan. 17 to Feb. 16, and the applications are due to the Tarrant County judge’s office at 100 E. Weatherford St. in Fort Worth.
Tepper noted there is a little confusion on the naming of the new elected position. He said they will be listed as place 1, 2 and 3. However, the sitting board members are not assigned by a place or district. Tepper said the results will be tabulated by places, not overall amount of votes, to decide the three new positions.
What they’re saying
“It is mandated we pay for the election, and it has been estimated to cost $300,000, but we can’t get a firm number,” TAD board Chair Vince Puente Sr. said. “We didn’t have it in the budget because we didn’t know about this when we did the budget. I love [that] the taxpayer will have a strong voice, but it is an expensive election we have to run.”
