FORT WORTH, Texas — At a special meeting Thursday, the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD) board of directors distanced itself from a complaint filed by a TAD employee against a Fort Worth realtor, known for protesting peoples’ property taxes for free.
The TAD board of directors approved a letter to send to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), asking the organization to withdraw the complaint against Chandler Crouch’s property tax consultant license.
WFAA has interviewed Crouch over the years for his tips and tricks for protesting your property taxes. Crouch told WFAA he’s protested 90,000 properties over the past five years.
At the end of 2021, TAD's director of residential appraisal Randall “Randy” Armstrong authored a complaint to the state about Crouch, claiming the realtor misled the Tarrant Appraisal Review Board at a hearing.
The complaint also accused Crouch of "mockery of the current tax system," claiming he "will bring shame to the Texas Association of Property Tax Consultants, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Institute for Professionals in Taxation and the Texas Property Tax Industry as a whole."
RELATED: Property tax officials complained about a realtor protesting appraisals. Now they could be fired.
Over 70 speakers addressed the TAD board of directors at Thursday’s hearing.
“If it weren’t for Chandler Crouch, I wouldn’t have a house,” one speaker said.
“Mr. Randall Armstrong has also exercised his first amendment right,” another said. “Mr. Armstrong does not need to be chastised.”
The line of speakers wrapped around the TAD building early Thursday morning. The TAD board of directors said the room where Thursday’s hearing was held was the only available room, which only had space for about a dozen speakers to sit in at a time.
As a result, some speakers said they stood outside for over four hours, waiting for their turn to address the board, who apologized for the situation, saying it did not expect that large of a crowd.
The letter that the TAD board of directors approved to send to TDLR was read aloud during Thursday’s special meeting. It said the complaint about Crouch’s license was not authorized or filed by TAD, its board, or its chief appraiser.
Instead, the letter said the complaint was filed by a TAD employee, who “did not have the permission or authority of the Tarrant Appraisal District to file the TDLR complaint on its behalf.”
WFAA reached out to Armstrong for a comment after the board’s decision and is still waiting to hear back.
Here’s the statement Armstrong provided on Wednesday: “There is currently a review of this matter being conducted, I prefer to wait on the review process to be complete before offering any further comment on these issues.”
An investigation into Armstrong and his complaint against Crouch is ongoing, according to the TAD board of directors.
Many of the public speakers called for the firing of Armstrong and TAD chief appraiser Jeff Law Thursday.
The board of directors said it expects to take up personnel matters at their next meeting.