Photo by Amarillo Pioneer Staff
By Nick Self
The debate over the Potter-Randall Appraisal District’s 1987 governing contract continues to unfold, with Potter County taking proactive steps while Randall County remains divided and cautious.
On June 9, the Potter County board voted to hire an attorney to represent the county in negotiations to update the decades-old agreement. Randall County held its own meeting on June 23 and voted not to hire an attorney at that time, largely due to the absence of Chairwoman Jinger White.
During the Randall County meeting, board member Jack Klaus spoke strongly against involving lawyers in leading the process. He urged the board to pursue negotiations directly between the counties without attorneys.
Klaus later wrote a letter to both boards responding to an op-ed by Potter County Tax Assessor-Collector Thomas Warren published in the Amarillo Globe-News. In his op-ed, Warren argued the contract was unlawful, but also stated his opposition to splitting the district. Klaus pushed back, contending that the contract is not unlawful.
The City of Canyon’s commission also voted to send a letter to both boards requesting that they not split the appraisal district. Meanwhile, the Amarillo City Council rejected a similar proposal from City Manager Grayson Path after hearing from Warren, who emphasized that the renegotiation is not about dividing the district. During that discussion, Mayor Cole Stanley said, “I don’t like the letter being sent with a vote behind it. I think it would be better served to take no action on this letter and pursue one-on-one conversations.”
Adding to the public pressure, Take It in the Gas creator Mike Fisher addressed both the Randall County Commissioners’ Court and Potter County Commissioners’ Court. Fisher argued that PRAD has been unfairly applying the agricultural property tax exemption to properties that shouldn’t qualify, and he cited this as a key reason the district should consider splitting.
On Tuesday, July 14, Potter County’s board held a meeting that included an executive session with their hired attorney. After returning to open session, Warren questioned Chief Appraiser Jeffrey Dagley about a document related to the contract that was apparently discovered through a citizen’s open records request related to the contract. Warren asked why the document wasn’t shared with the board.
“Um, I didn’t know I needed to send that to the board,” Dagley replied.
Warren pressed further: “Well, I mean, do you think it might have been helpful considering the fact that we’ve been discussing the contract and we probably needed to know the history of it?”
Dagley responded, “I didn’t think it would be helpful.”
Warren emphasized the need for better transparency moving forward: “I think there’s an appetite on this board in the future when we’re going through matters like this that if a citizen requests something of this nature and the request turns up a document like that for it to be provided to the board. Because it shouldn’t take a board member having to get approached by a member of the public and then three or four months later getting it whenever we’re in this discussion and it would’ve been helpful at the start.”
Board member Craig Gualtiere also addressed the public, saying the process is progressing smoothly. “I think what needs to be conveyed to the public is that we are in discussion with legal counsel and we have nothing to say to the public,” Gualtiere stated.
Both boards are expected to hold meetings in August to approve the district’s budget. It remains uncertain whether Randall County will eventually hire its own attorney, given the reluctance shown in June and opposition from members like Klaus to bringing lawyers into the negotiations.
This ongoing situation highlights the tension between the two counties as they work through a contract that has governed their shared appraisal district for nearly 40 years.
This story will be updated as developments continue in August.
Nick Self is a student and freelance journalist covering local government and community issues for The Amarillo Pioneer.