Appraisal district board members in counties of 75,000 or more must complete prescribed training each year and file the completion certificate.
Sec. 5.044. TRAINING OF APPRAISAL DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEMBERS IN POPULOUS COUNTIES. (a) This section applies only to an appraisal district established in a county with a population of 75,000 or more. (b) A member of an appraisal district board of directors shall successfully complete a training program prescribed by this section before each anniversary of the date the member takes office. (c) The training program must provide a member of the board of directors of an appraisal district with information regarding: (1) the role and functions of the chief appraiser, the board of directors, the appraisal review board, and the taxpayer liaison officer; (2) the role and functions of the comptroller regarding the property tax system; (3) the importance of maintaining the independence of an appraisal office from political pressure; (4) the importance of prompt, courteous, and fair treatment of the public; (5) the finance and budgeting requirements for an appraisal district, including appropriate controls to ensure that expenditures are proper; (6) the procurement and contracting requirements for an appraisal district, including appropriate controls to ensure there are no conflicts of interest; (7) the requirements of: (A) Chapter 551, Government Code; (B) Chapter 552, Government Code; (C) Chapter 2001, Government Code; (D) other laws relating to public officials, including conflict-of-interest laws; and (E) the standards of ethics imposed by the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice; and (8) the professions regulated under Chapter 1151, Occupations Code. (d) The training required by this section for a member of the board of directors of an appraisal district that has contracted to perform duties relating to the assessment or collection of taxes must include not less than eight hours of instruction on laws relating to those functions. (e) The training required by this section shall be provided by an accredited institution of higher education, including an institution that is a part of or associated with an accredited institution of higher education, such as the V. G. Young Institute of County Government. On completion of the training by a member of the board of directors of an appraisal district, the institution providing the training shall provide a certificate of completion to the member. (f) A member of the board of directors of an appraisal district who completes the training required by this section shall file the certificate of completion provided to the member with the appraisal district. The appraisal district shall provide each certificate filed with the district since the comptroller completed the most recent review of the district under Section 5.102 to the comptroller as part of each review conducted under that section. (g) For purposes of removal under Subchapter B, Chapter 87, Local Government Code, "incompetency" in the case of a member of the board of directors of an appraisal district includes the failure to timely complete the training required by this section. Added by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 370 (H.B. 148), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2025.