The Wright Stuff

Volume 2, Issue 5
In God We Trust
national elections. Elections that generate the lowest voter turnout are for
government closest to us, the level of
government we can most likely affect:
local city and school elections.
In This Issue:
Property Tax News ..................... 4
Motor Vehicle News .................. 6
A Look Back .............................. 8
What’s Been Happening............. 10
KAB ........................................... 15
Contact Information and
Map of Locations ....................... 16
May 1, 2015
Ron Wright
The Wright Stuff
This is somewhat understandable.
Most of us are attracted to the big issues that nations face; less so to the
mundane problems of the city in
which we live. Nevertheless, our city
council affects us much more on a day
-to-day basis than the U. S. Congress
ever will. The government services
we have come to rely on to maintain
our general quality of life do not come
from Washington; they come from
down the street.
THE VOTING IMPERATIVE
Dates to Remember:
Cinco de Mayo ............................ 5
National Day of Prayer ................ 7
Mother’s Day .............................. 9
Staff Development Day ............... 13
(all tax office locations closed)
World Turtle Day ………………..23
Memorial Day…………………...25
3rd Qtr Property Tax Pymts Due..31
Protest Deadline with TAD……...31
The local general election on May
9 seems destined to draw the same hohum response from voters that past
local elections have inspired. If recent years are an indicator, voter turnout will be in the dismal 5% -- 10%
range. That’s right, roughly 90% of
registered voters will not vote. 90%!
That means less than 10% of registered voters will decide for all of us
who will represent us on our school
boards and city councils.
Democracy in America has always
been a bit of paradox. The elections
that generate the greatest interest and
voter participation are for the government farthest away from the people:
Another part of the paradox is the
rise in voter apathy of recent decades
as political clamor also rose. Voter
participation has been going down
since the 1960s while the 24/7 news
cycle focusing mainly on politics has
increased along with the mind bogContinued on Page 2
Volume 2, Issue 5
The Wright Stuff, Continued
gling cost of political campaigns.
Which is to say that political candidates are getting less for their money in votes than ever before as
Americans become more and more
desensitized to political messages.
The last couple of elections illustrate the point. Since presidential elections always produce the
most voter turnout, let’s look at offyear elections. Nationally, voter
turnout in 2010 and 2014 was consistent: 37.52% in 2010 and 37.9%
in 2014. In Texas the numbers
were 32.6% in 2010 and 28.5% in
2014. In other words, 2/3 of Texas
voters stayed home.
According to The Washington
Post, voter turnout in 2014 was the
lowest since World War II, and only 12 states improved voter turnout
compared to 2010. A U S News
report on the election stated that
nonvoters tended to be more ethnically diverse and less educated than
those who voted. And as if to dramatically underscore the disenchantment of young people with
politics, only 13% under 30 voted.
These results do not bode well for
the future, and it gets worse when
we look at local elections.
In Tarrant County’s two largest
cities, Fort Worth and Arlington,
voter turnout above 10% is so rare
that it’s celebrated when it happens.
In Arlington terms are staggered so
that half the city council is up for
election every year. In Fort Worth
the entire council is up for election
every other year. Out of 187,325
voters in Arlington, 10, 906 or
5.8% voted in 2013 and 12,747 or
6.8% voted in 2014. The numbers
were driven up in 2014 due to the
Taxing News
¼ cent sales tax for street maintenance on the ballot. This year a
controversial measure to ban red
light cameras is on the Arlington
ballot. That coupled with the first
competitive mayor’s race in years
may drive the numbers up. In Fort
Worth, with more than 325,000
voters, 8% voted in 2013 and
10.3% voted in 2011. Notably, the
numbers in 2011 were driven by the
most competitive mayor’s race in
recent memory.
Voting in the U.S. is not mandatory. The choice to not vote, like
the choice to vote, is a right. We
have the right to ignore politics altogether. But we do so at our own
peril. Just as voters must accept the
responsibility for their votes, nonvoters must accept responsibility
for not voting. Elections have consequences. Never was this truth
more clearly demonstrated than in
the small town of Ferguson, Mo.
Ferguson’s population was 67%
black, but the mayor and all but one
member of the city council were
white. The white city council hired
a white police chief who hired predominantly white police officers.
This was no new phenomenon; the
situation in Ferguson had been racially lopsided for years. It wasn’t
lopsided because African Americans in the city didn’t vote; they
voted in large numbers in the 2012
presidential election. According to
the Post, they voted at about the
same ratio as whites in Ferguson
that year, 54% and 55%. But African Americans walked past the vot-
2
May 1, 2015
ing booth in droves during the city
council election.
As expected, voter turnout for
the Ferguson city council election
was much lower than the presidential election for all ethnicities. But
whites were three times more likely
to vote in the city election than
blacks. The result was white voters
outnumbered black voters in the
election 52% to 47%. African
Americans in Ferguson did not
seem to grasp the value or necessity
of voting in city elections until a
white police officer shot and killed
an unarmed African American, and
the city exploded in riots. African
American voters in Ferguson then
had to face the inconvenient truth
that their own indifference to city
elections had helped create the conditions in which black-owned businesses were burned to the ground
by rioters.
The people of Ferguson learned
from the experience. Last month,
in a record turnout for a city election, voters added two more African Americans to their city council,
which now stands at three white,
three black, and a white mayor.
This new council more closely approximates the racial balance in the
city.
The people of Ferguson learned
only too well the cost of voter apathy in local elections. The question
remains, will the rest of us?
Ron Wright
All Tax Office locations will be closed on Wednesday,
May 13, 2015.
3
Taxing News
Volume 2, Issue 5
May 1, 2015
Property Tax News
Agreed Judgments - The What and the Why
 What is an Agreed Judgment?
By Christine Smith,
Property Tax Refunds
Manager (pictured left)
and Katharine Woldt,
Refunds Supervisor
(pictured right)
 Why do we have them and
what is their significance?
These are great questions and the best way to answer them is to give a brief lesson on protesting the assessment
data, specifically the valuation, on a property tax account.
The Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD) has the
immense task of maintaining all records eligible for
ad valorem taxation.
This includes current
ownership & address information, accurate
property descriptions, property values and eligible
exemptions. The Texas Property Tax Code allows
for property owners to dispute the information that
TAD has for their property.
April 1st of each year. An appointment is scheduled
with an appraiser for the property owner to present
justification for the proposed value correction.
According to Vickie Wilkie, Operations
Manager, TAD had 70,217 protests filed in
2014. The reasons for the protests included denied
exemptions, market values and in the case of
mineral accounts, updated ownership. According
to the September 2014 Certified Roll there were
1,459,389 accounts for 2014. That means a mere
4.8% of accounts were protested, which is reflective
of how hard TAD strives to accurately appraise and
maintain accounts each year.
This board is comprised of taxpayers that live in
Tarrant County and are not TAD employees. Their
purpose is to hear from both the owner and the
appraiser and make a determination. More than
98% of these protests are resolved by the end of
these two steps.
When the owner and appraiser come to an
agreement, the account is updated and the protest is
considered resolved. If no agreement is reached,
the property owner is scheduled to go before the
Appraisal Review Board (ARB).
If there is still no resolution, the final step is for
the property owner to file a lawsuit in the District
Courts. Only about 1.6% go to the final step of
filing a lawsuit against them. Being good stewards
of taxpayer funds, TAD will do everything possible
to avoid the additional expense of going to court by
resolving protests before they go in front of a
judge.
The first step is to file a written protest by May
31. A protest form can be found on the TAD
website at www.tad.org, as well as on the back of
the Value Notifications that are mailed out around
4
Property Tax News, Continued
So, now that there is a little
background, the remaining few
protests are finalized as an
Agreed Judgment. Officially, the
Agreed Judgment is the decision
and conclusion of litigation between the property owner and
the appraisal district. Again,
most of these disputes are over
property value, but some are disputes over the right to receive
exemptions. In the previous fiscal year Tarrant County processed 1,123 Agreed Judgments
that refunded a total of
$12,173,735. While the Agreed
Judgments are only about 2% of
the number of refunds we processed they represent about 38%
of the total funds we sent back to
tax payers last year.
Just to make Agreed Judgments a little more complicated,
there is an additional law that is
included in these special cases.
The Texas Property Tax Code
(§42.43) requires interest to be
paid on all Agreed Judgment
refunds unless otherwise stated
in the documentation.
If the
plaintiff does not agree to waive
interest, the tax office must pay
up. The amount of interest is to
be paid at an annual rate of 2%
above the prime rate set by the
Federal Reserve Board at the
beginning of the month in which
the refund is to be paid out but
no more than 8% annually. This
amount is to be calculated from
the original delinquency date of
the year the taxes were due.
est must be paid at an annual
rate of 12% (regular recals are
8%).
Once the Agreed Judgment is
received at TAD, they must
make changes according to the
court’s ruling and then certify
those changes to the Tax Assessor Collector’s office. The
Agreed Judgment is logged in
and tracked every step of the
way.
Agreed Judgments take top
priority every month when the
Once TAD has certified the
change and it is loaded into our
Tax Client software, the Agreed
Judgment is read thoroughly and
compared to the actual changes
that were done to the account. If
everything matches then a refund is worked or a statement is
sent. On occasion the property
owner actually estimated the
correct amount so there is no
further action necessary.
TAD NCD is processed because
of two primary reasons; one, it is
a signed court order that is to be
handled quickly and accurately.
The second reason is the interest
we may be required to pay. The
Texas Property Tax Code requires all recalculation refunds
(Agreed Judgments included) be
issued within 60 days of the certified date. If an Agreed Judgment refund is not paid out in
the allotted time frame the inter5
What this really points out is
how critical each organization is
to the entire property taxation
process. Developing and maintaining working professional relationships between the Tarrant
Appraisal District and Tax Assessor Collector’s office is the
only way that together we can
serve the taxpayers of Tarrant
County efficiently and accurately. Most importantly is to be
accountable for our Tarrant
County taxpayer dollars.
For example:
Prime rate 4-1-2015 was 3.25%
3.25% + 2% = 5.25%
5.25% / 12= 0.4375per month
Agreed Judgment refunds
appear the same as all other recalculation refunds in the tax
client. However, they require a
totally separate processing than
the regular recalculation refunds.
All Agreed Judgment refunds
have to be approved by the refund manager and the Tax Assessor-Collector. If the refund is
above $1,000.00 it must also be
approved by the County Auditor.
Of course, not all Agreed
Judgments result in a refund.
Some require statements to be
mailed, but all are handled by
the refund department.
For questions regarding Agreed
Judgments or other property tax
refunds please contact:
Vivian Perez-Guajardo
817-884-1056
Kat Woldt
817-884-1081
Taxing News
Volume 2, Issue 5
May 1, 2015
Motor Vehicle News
Dorothy Starr, MV Director
Web Dealer
On October 21, 2014 the tax office
started working with three of our
franchised dealerships processing title
transfers through Web Dealer, the
newest system of the Texas
Department of Motor Vehicles
(TxDMV). At that time, they were only
able to process new vehicles. In March
2015, TxDMV allowed the dealerships
to process both new and used title
transfers. Since March, we have added
24 dealers and processed 5,792 titles.
The benefits for our dealers to
process titles through web dealer are
huge. No longer do our dealers need to
call the tax office for fees when a
customer has special plates to transfer.
Web Dealer will figure the fees and do
work for us. Web Dealer will also let
the dealer know if they need a Vehicle
Inspection Report and figure the fees
for that as well.
If a transaction needs to be returned
to the dealer the transaction is returned
electronically with typed notes of what
is missing from the title transfer.
The changeover from the laptop to
Web Dealer is a huge benefit for the
tax office as well, eliminating the need
to update laptops. We are able to help
and support our dealers
more efficiently.
Web Dealer has changed
the way we all do business
in a positive way.
By Kelly Starks
Motor Vehicle
Manager II
Fort Worth Star Telegram,
4/25/15
Photo courtesy of Tom Spencer:
Tired of being blue?
Renew Registration at Your Neighborhood Grocery Store
We recently added a Kroger store to the list of neighborhood locations where you can purchase
registration. The newest store issuing registration is located in North Richland Hills at 9150 N
Tarrant Parkway. Visit our website for a full listing of all Kroger locations, as well as Fiesta,
Carnival and Tom Thumb stores that issue stickers.

Grocery stores have the ability to check for updated inspection information, but you should
bring your Vehicle Inspection Report if you have it handy.

Also, you need your registration renewal notice, proof of insurance, and ID.

You can renew last month, current month and next month at these locations.

They issue stickers only, and are not able to issue license plates or disabled placards.
COMING SOON: Additional grocery store locations to add to our list of convenient locations to serve you
better. Watch for updates on our website, social media, and the newsletter.
6
Pesky Mosquitoes!!
Do You Know What To Do?
Severe Weather Season is Here! Severe weather season can bring frightening storms, incredible damage and change lives in the blink of an
eye. The best way to meet violent Texas weather is to be prepared in every way possible.
KnoWhat2Do has a number of steps you can
take to help each member of the family
KnoWhat2Do when storms are coming, and
when they hit. Visit www.knowhat2do.com for
more information and details about how to create an emergency plan for your family. There
is plenty of kid-friendly information on the
website.
Be prepared for the mosquitoe-borne
West Nile virus in North Central Texas.
There are several actions that you can take to help keep
your family and pets safe from this disease.
 Drain standing water around your home. Mosquitoes use stagnant water to lay their eggs, so there is a
potential breeding ground wherever still water is found.
 Apply insect repellent on exposed skin and clothing
when you go outdoors. Products that contain deet,
picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus will reduce your
chance of attracting mosquitoes.
 Wear long sleeve shirts, pants and socks when outdoors.
 Avoid outdoor activity between dusk and dawn
when mosquitoes are most active.
Source: Knowhat2do.com
2014 Proclamation
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA­
A PROCLAMATION
One of our Nation’s great strengths is the freedom we hold dear, including the freedom to exercise our faiths freely. For many
Americans, prayer is an essential act of worship and a daily discipline.
Today and every day, prayers will be said for comfort for those who mourn, healing for those who are sick, protection for those who
are in harm’s way, and strength for those who lead. Today and every day, forgiveness and reconciliation will be sought through
prayer. Across our country, Americans give thanks for our many blessings, including the freedom to pray as our consciences dictate.
As we give thanks for our liberties, we must never forget those around the world, including Americans, who are being held or
persecuted because of their convictions. Let us remember all prisoners of conscience today, whatever their faiths or beliefs and
wherever they are held. Let us continue to take every action within our power to secure their release. And let us carry forward our
Nation’s tradition of religious liberty, which protects Americans’ rights to pray and to practice our faiths as we see fit.
The Congress, by Public Law 100-307, as amended, has called on the President to issue each year a proclamation designating the
first Thursday in May as a “National Day of Prayer.”
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by
the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2014, as a National Day of Prayer. I invite the citizens
of our Nation to give thanks, in accordance with their own faiths and consciences, for our many freedoms and blessings, and I join
all people of faith in asking for God’s continued guidance, mercy, and protection as we seek a more just world.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen,
and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.
BARACK OBAMA
###
7
Volume 2, Issue 5
Taxing News
May 1, 2015
A Look Back ……..by Ron Wright
Jeff McLean and the End of Open Gambling
Jeff McLean was a man on a
mission. He had run for County
Attorney of Tarrant County on
the promise that he would clean
up Hell’s Half Acre and end the
plague of gambling in Fort
Worth. He was making good on
that promise when he was shot
to death on March 22, 1907 on
Main St. by a notorious gambler
in what is still one of the most
sensational crimes ever committed in Tarrant County. He died
at the age of 36 in his wife’s
blood-drenched arms, a martyr
to the cause of law and order.
Jefferson Davis McLean was
born in 1870, the son of renown
Texas Judge William Pinckney
McLean and his wife Margaret
Batte. The McLeans had relocated to Texas after the Civil
War, settling first in Mt. Pleasant where Jeff was born. In addition to holding a judgeship, the
elder McLean served in the U.S.
Congress, the Texas Legislature,
and was a member of the original Texas Railroad Commission.
He was one of the most respected judges in Texas. McLean
Middle School in Fort Worth is
named in his honor.
Jeff’s
younger brother, “Wild Bill”
McLean, would become one of
the most distinguished trial lawyers in the state in the decades
after his brother’s death.
After the McLean family
moved to Fort Worth in 1895,
young Jeff became the assistant
to County Attorney James
Swayne. He proved to be an
excellent prosecutor.
When
Swayne stepped down in 1904,
McLean won election as County
Attorney. He made open gambling in Fort Worth his chief issue in the campaign and vowed
to not only prosecute the gamblers, but also the owners of the
establishments. The latter threat
raised the eyebrows of a number
of leading citizens who owned
property in Hell’s Half Acre.
Fort Worth had always been
torn between the blatant immorality of the Acre with its saloons, bordellos and gambling
houses and the considerable revenue the city gained from having
those businesses in the city.
Consequently, politicians in the
city paid mostly lip service to
cleaning up the Acre. Gamblers,
if arrested at all during periodic
crackdowns, simply paid the fine
and went right back to plying
their trade.
Jeff McLean, however, was a
crusader. He did more that arrest and prosecute. He upped
8
the ante on the gambling houses.
McLean knew that as bad as the
saloons and brothels were, it was
the gambling that caused most of
the violence, often ending with a
cold body in the morgue. He
began raiding the gambling
houses, arresting everybody
caught gambling and confiscating all the winnings and the
equipment, from poker chips to
gaming tables! When McLean
went on a raid, it was for keeps.
It was McLean’s practice to
lead the raids himself, often being the first to burst into a gambling room. It was also his practice to be accompanied by Sheriff’s deputies, not Fort Worth
police, whom he suspected were
on the payroll of gamblers and
saloon-owners.
McLean planned a series of
raids in March, 1907 to coincide
with the National Feeders and
Breeders Show, the precursor to
today’s Stock Show, when hundreds of visitors would be in
town. The target on March 22,
the last day of the show, was to
be the gambling room upstairs
above the Stag Saloon at 702
Main St. The gambler operating
the establishment was Bill
Thomason, known for his one
arm and short fuse.
A Look Back , continued
Deputies arrived at approximately 5:00 pm and were loading wagons with gaming equipment when Thomason arrived on
the scene. Outraged, he confronted McLean outside the saloon, pulled a .45 from his hip
pocket and fired from only a few
feet away.
The bullet tore
through the County Attorney’s
larynx to his spine. Thomason
disappeared into the alley behind
the saloon.
No doubt believing this raid
would be as routine as others,
McLean had brought his young
wife of two years and his brother, Bill, along in the family buggy. They watched helplessly
from across the street as several
men picked McLean up and carried him to nearby R.A. Anderson’s drug store where he was
laid on the floor. He died within
minutes, cradled in his wife’s
arms.
Word quickly spread of the
shooting. Police, Sheriff’s deputies, and citizens spread out to
find Thomason. He was finally
found in the lumberyard where a
gunfight
ensued,
mortally
wounding the gambler, but not
before he mortally wounded railroad peace officer Hamil Scott
who would die a few weeks later.
The murder of Jeff McLean
by a gambler in broad daylight
stunned not only Fort Worth, but
the state of Texas. News of the
shooting spread quickly over the
wires and was picked up by major newspapers as far away as
the Washington Post. It galvanized the people of Texas
against the gambling interests.
The Texas Legislature was in
session, and a significant number of its members were in Fort
Worth for the stock show when
the shooting occurred. They returned to Austin and, invoking
the name of Jeff McLean, passed
tough anti-gambling legislation,
making it a felony and effectively ending open gambling in Texas.
Texas newspapers decried the
shooting, calling it “an assassination”, and declaring Jeff
McLean a martyr. His funeral
was reported to be the largest
ever held in Fort Worth. In his
short life, he had accomplished
much. He accomplished even
more in death. Tarrant County
and Texas would never be the
same. The days of open gambling were over.
FWST 3/25/07 p8
FWST 2/16/16 p18 (Valuation of City Inventories)
9
Volume 2, Issue 5
Taxing News
May 1, 2015
What’s Been Happening….
County Tax Assessor-Collector Ron Wright testified before the House Ways and Means Committee in Austin on April 21, 2015
Mr. Wright Goes to Austin
In an effort to reduce costs and the inconvenience to taxpayers with small mineral accounts, Ron Wright
testified before the House Ways and Means Committee in favor of HB-128, introduced by Tarrant County
Representative Craig Goldman. The bill would expand the exemption from taxation on mineral accounts to a
value of $2000. Current law exempts accounts with a value of $500 or less.
Because of the tremendous gas drilling activity in our county which saw entire subdivisions leased for
drilling, Tarrant has more very small value mineral accounts than any county
in Texas. These small value accounts mean a great deal of work for very little
revenue. Increasing the exemption amount would reduce the mineral account
workload and reduce costs to the county in printing and postage without a
great loss of revenue for the taxing entities in the county.
Wright also visited with Tarrant County Representatives Stephanie Klick,
Gio Capriglione, Jonathan Stickland, Tony Tinderholt, and Bill Zedler, as well
as Senator Konni Burton. In addition to HB-128, they discussed HB-315,
which Wright requested, to allow the national motto, In God We Trust, on
Texas license plates as an option and bills being monitored by the Tax
Assessor-Collector Association of Texas.
Ron Wright, left, pictured here with
Rep. Bill Zedler
Mission Statement
We will serve the citizens of Tarrant County with pride, courtesy, respect, and determination.
We will achieve excellence in what we do by providing accurate, efficient, and timely service consistent
with the laws of the State of Texas and the highest ethical standard.
10
What’s Been Happening….
Printing Property Tax Statements
Shelley Hyde and Marietta Judge with the printing
company, NDSI, met with Property Tax Assessment
Manager, Jeff Hodges, and other property tax staff on
Wednesday, April 29, to discuss printing for our tax
statements that will go out in October. This company
printed over a million statements last year. This year, we
may top 1,200,000 according to Hodges.
DID YOU KNOW? The US Interstate system requires
that one mile in every five must be straight. These
straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or
other emergencies.
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/interstate/
Ron Wright is pictured here with Marietta Judge, Account Manager, and
Shelley Hyde, Owner, NDSI.
Property Tax Supervisors Meet at
Cheesecake Factory
Pictured left to right are property tax supervisors: Joe Abrego, Tiffany Eubanks, Andree Johnson,
Amelia Rice, Dana Roe, Donna Fenton, Katharine Woldt, and Judy Burgess.
Pictured left to right: Mark Butler,
Jim Pritchard and Danny Nichols;
Three of many who showed up in
support of our own Misty Dixon,
diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma in
2014. Tax Assessor-Collector Ron
Wright and Chief Deputy Tom
Spencer contributed toward one of
the hole sponsorships.
The Property Tax Supervisors started meeting on a regular basis this
past year. Donna Fenton suggested making it a working lunch, and
it was a big hit! They plan to meet at a different restaurant at least
every other month. Their agenda includes discussing the usual
orders of business, upcoming changes, personnel issues, problems
that may be occurring and how these problems affect each area, and
they share ideas, etc. One of the best things that has come out of
these luncheons is the opportunity to get to know one another on a
more personal level which they feel has strengthened their bond as a
business team.
Contributed by Andree Johnson
11
Volume 2, Issue 5
Taxing News
May 1, 2015
What’s Been Happening….
Auto Agent
Presentation
Linda Baggett from Wichita
County was joined by her Chief
Deputy Clay Glasgow and
Michelle Torres (not pictured
here) in a visit to Tarrant County
on April 29.
They received a
warm welcome from Morris Booth
who handles VIT collections,
among other duties. He presented
an Auto Agent presentation to the
team from Wichita County, where
they had an opportunity to get a
close up look at our Special Inventory Tax Operations.
Linda Baggett, Wichita County Assistant Property Tax Supervisor, and Morris Booth, Tarrant County
Special Collections Manager.
LifeGift Second Chance Run
As an organ recipient, Commissioner
Fickes has great appreciation for those
who are organ donors, he considers their
families as heroes.
Commissioner Fickes was able to have a
new lease on life after he received the
vital organ needed for his survival from
the difficult decision of one's family.
The LifeGift 2nd Chance 5K & 1 Mile
Fun Run/Walk helps bring awareness and
raise money for LifeGift, a not-for-profit
procurement
organization
that
recovers organs and tissue for individuals
needing transplants in 109 Texas
counties.
Pictured above: Ron Wright with Jeff Law, Chief Appraiser at Tarrant Appraisal District, Dallas County
staff and Michelle French, TAC Denton County and members of her staff on April 7, 2015 to discuss the
new Aumentum computer system put in place by TAD in October 2014.
Our Vision:
For Team Fickes Information, call
817-581-3600.
We are a professional team of positive and
dedicated individuals who serve with
integrity, tenacity, and compassion in an
innovative and inclusive environment.
12
What’s Been Happening….
Courthouse Tour April 10, 2015
Get Ready, Get Set, Go: First Stop,
Water Trough on the courthouse lawn.
Kameisha Williams, Katy Kheao, Donna
Davis, Taylor Minter and Billy O’Dell
prepare for their traditional courthouse
tour, led by Ron Wright.
Inside the normally very quiet Law
Library.
Last Stop: Inside the 1895
Museum...always a
favorite.
Taking note of the notable men whose pictures line the
walls.
A short walk
across the
street takes
everyone to
the patio of
Tarrant
County
College.
All done here! Front steps of courthouse.
13
Billy O’Dell makes it to
the top of the stairs
on the TCC campus.
Taxing News
Volume 2, Issue 5
May 1, 2015
What’s Been Happening….
Welcome New Motor Vehicle Employees
Jaymee Alcox
Rosalinda
Bedford,
Part-time
Liliana
Covarrubias,
Part-time
Cathryn Warner
Markeysha
Richardson,
Part-time
Donna Davis,
Part-time
The Leadership Development Series Continues with Diversity &
Emotional Intelligence Training on April 22 and 23, 2015
Jeanette Johnson discussing objectives
of training with Ron Wright
Motor Vehicle Managers and Supervisors
Mr. Guess addresses motor vehicle
staff one on one
Property tax and Quality Assurance staff
Motor Vehicle Directors, Managers and Supervisors participated in diversity and emotional management
training provided by James Bird Guess. The training was coordinated through Jeanette Johnson, Organizational Development Officer with Tarrant County’s Human Resource Department. Mr. Guess presented information on how to use emotional intelligence, recognize and understand bias, and how to respond vs. react to
situations. This is part of a series of courses offered to Directors and Managers this year, and all supervisors
were invited to this one because the subject matter is so important and relative to those in management.
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"Our attitude towards others determines their attitude
towards us. "
Earl Nightingale, Author and Motivational Speaker
Customer
service is not
a department,
it’s everyone’s job.
Katie, Mansfield: “Katy was amazing! She was patient and professional with my complicated
matter...She is a true asset!”
Michael, Southlake: “My experience was the best I have had in any government office…”
Gloria, Poly: “Best DMV ever!!”
Yessica, Poly: “ ….courteous and knowledgeable, professional and efficient!”
Sandy, NW: “Sandy was very helpful and pleasant to work with.”
Prince & Ingrid, SW: “Both were highly competent and friendly.”
Congratulations to this employee who will be recognized
in Commissioners Court in
Tina Horton -
15 years
Camryn Robbins ........................ 3
Lalania Gaines ........................... 7
Fengyu Hong ............................. 3
Kim Jayme ................................. 8
Kameisha Williams ................... 3
Theresa Steele............................ 8
Julia Kelly.................................. 20
Danny Nichols ........................... 7
Jan Phillips ................................ 9
Carmen Holloway ...................... 21
Marcy Hubbard.......................... 5
Karina Villalba .......................... 10
Joan Coulter ............................... 23
Kat Woldt .................................. 6
Amelia Rice ............................... 13
15
Taxing News
Volume 2, Issue 5
Tarrant County
Tax Office Locations
Hours: Monday—Friday
8:00 am—5:00 pm
May 1, 2015
CONTACT US
Main Office Building
100 East Weatherford St.
Fort Worth, TX 76196
Phone: 817-884-1100
Northwest
6713 Telephone Rd. Rm. 101
Lake Worth, TX 76135
Phone: 817-238-4435
Arlington
700 E. Abram St.
Arlington, TX 76010
Phone: 817-548-3935
Poly
3212 Miller Ave.
Fort Worth, TX 76105
Phone: 817-531-5635
Mansfield
1100 E. Broad St.
Mansfield, TX 76063
Phone: 817-473-5127
Southlake
1400 Main St. Suite 110
Southlake TX 76092
Phone: 817-481-8141
Northeast
645 E. Grapevine Highway
Hurst, TX 76054
Phone: 817-581-3635
Southwest
6551 Granbury Rd
Fort Worth, TX 76133
Phone: 817-370-4535
817-884-1100
Email Property Tax Department
at:
[email protected]
Email Motor Vehicle
Department at:
[email protected]
Questions about the newsletter may
be directed to
Vickie Doane at
[email protected]
Visit our website at:
www.tarrantcounty.com
Registration renewals may be
purchased at your local Carnival, Fiesta,
Kroger, and Tom Thumb stores in Bedford,
Hurst, Keller, Mansfield, Southlake,
Arlington, Grapevine, and Fort Worth.
Check our website for a list of locations
at www.tarrantcounty.com.
Be sure to bring your renewal notice,
proof of insurance and an acceptable form
of ID such as a Texas Driver’s License or
ID card.
Email [email protected] to subscribe to our monthly newsletter distribution list.
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