(October 9, 2008) - New audits show the Coryell County Appraisal District may have already spent thousands of dollars it owes back to different area taxing entities.
A meeting between the district's board members, auditors, lawyers, and the county attorney to go over numbers from 2007, showed the district may have already spent all the disputed money by paying for contractual agreements for new appraisal technology.
But the interim chief appraiser argues that budget changes will show that the money was spent on legitimate expenses, and no longer needs to be returned.
A dispute has been ongoing for months over surplus funds the county attorney says the appraisal district should return.
Appraisal districts collect money from taxing entities like cities, school districts and the county itself to fund operation costs.
Coryell County Attorney Brandon Belt says state law requires any surplus money be returned at the end of each year.
But Belt says, the Coryell County Appraisal District hasn't done that.
$150 thousand or more may have been spent or obligated, that should have been returned to entities in Coryell County.
As county attorney, Belt says the option for the county and other entities to sue the district for its money is an option.
But the groups are currently working together to resolve the issue out of court.
The chief appraiser, Jerry Hogg, resigned at the height of the dispute.
That leaves the interim, Roy Johnson, to resolve the matter.
He says that the money in question was all spent on items for the benefit of the taxing entities of Coryell County.
Johnson explains the appraisal districts is retroactively revising the 2007 and 2008 budgets, with full disclosure to all the entities.
By showing what the money was spent for, even though the budgets are old, he says the state tax code on left-over money will be fulfilled.
Any money left after the budget amendments will be credited against what entities owe for the 2009 year.
The appraisal district meets on October 16th to vote on the amended 2007 budget, and a future meeting is being set to go over amendments for the 2008 budget.
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