On the eve of sending out 2022 preliminary property assessments to property owners, the Comal Appraisal District has placed its chief appraiser on paid administrative leave pending results of an internal investigation.
Rufino Lozano confirmed he was notified of the move following the CAD board meeting on Tuesday, March 22. He would not comment on his situation or investigations that the district’s board chair John Tyler said centered on workplace allegations.
“On Tuesday evening, for the benefit of all involved, the board voted to place Mr. Lozano on paid administrative leave pending reports from the final investigation,” Tyler said, not offering specifics.
The CAD assesses and certifies values of taxable properties for 34 taxing jurisdictions, and is finalizing figures for residential and commercial properties assessed as of Jan. 1, 2022. They are projected to be the largest single-year increases in market and taxable values since the CAD was formed in 1980.
CAD Chief Appraiser Rufino Lozano
The 2021 certified overall values in the district saw average assessments increase by between 12% and 14%. The 2022 values well surpass that — not only indicating double-digit gains for the fourth consecutive year, most entities will see increases nearing 40%.
Preliminary assessments yet to be released by the CAD indicate Comal County’s 2022 taxable values rose by 34.01% — from $24.338 billion to $32.616 billion, and market values rising 46.83%, from $33.492 billion to $49.178 billion.. It’s the same for the city of New Braunfels and both local school districts — surpassing 30% and nearing 40% in both categories.
The CAD has an annual budget of around $4.1 million. Its six-member board, which includes the county’s tax assessor-collector as a non-voting member, has authority over the chief appraiser, who has authority over staffing that annually averages between 24 and 28 employees, but currently has 35.
Last year, Lozano said between five and seven staffers resigned due to COVID-19 and other issues, but none of a personal nature.
Staffers usually process appeals from taxpayers, and usually solve most cases that don’t advance to hearings before the CAD’s Appeals Review Board. Last year Lozano denied accusations he prohibited staffers from conducting those hearings, called mediation sessions, which one former member estimated solved between 80% and 90% of protests filed.
Tyler said the current investigation has staged interviews with current and former staffers, both by the CAD’s human resources department and a third-party outside investigator. He confirmed they involved workplace-related complaints of a “sensitive” nature.
“Basically, a series of ongoing investigations have taken place over the last few months,” Tyler said, adding he expected results from all probes within a few weeks. He said he’s not sure whether it topic will be addressed during the board’s next meeting on Tuesday, April 5.
In the meantime, Lozano’s duties are being performed by Chris Kudrna, CAD director of operations, who said 2022 property assessments are being finalized and will be mailed or emailed to property owners by mid-April.
Comal Appraisal District's chief appraiser on leave pending investigation - Herald Zeitung
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