UPDATED: Conroe Mayor Toby Powell allegedly drops property value lawsuit against tax official

Conroe Mayor Toby Powell has allegedly dropped a lawsuit against one Montgomery County official over property values.

County Tax Assessor-Collector Tammy McRae said she was informed May 27 that the lawsuit had been dropped against her, just a day after Montgomery County Commissioners sharply criticized the lawsuit as a political move.

“Tammy McRae doesn’t have the authority vested in her by the people nor by the Constitution to provide that type of relief, and a God-dang mayor of a city in this county should know that, and if he doesn’t, he’s a fool,” Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack said.

Community Impact Newspaper reached out to Powell for comment, but he has yet to respond. Montgomery County Chief Appraiser Tony Belinoski said in an email he is still named in the active lawsuit.

Powell previously said he pursued legal action against McRae and Belinoski to get property tax relief for Montgomery County residents.

“What we are asking for in this lawsuit is for the appraisal district to re-appraise all of the property in the county based on what has happened to our economy over the last few months," Powell said. “The people of this city and county are hurting and many of them simply will not be able to pay their taxes when they come due unless we do something about it now.”