Friday, April 19, 2024
The board of the Hood Central Appraisal District has named Richard Petree as interim chief appraiser following the resignation of Chief Appraiser Eddie Roe.
With years of experience, Petree takes the reins at a critical time, when taxing entities are preparing budgets for the upcoming fiscal year.
According to a statement emailed to the Hood County News, Petree has served as a consultant to the HCAD on various projects over the past several years, and thus has special insight into the workings of that office.
The press release stated that Petree “will hit the ground running with his proven record of leadership, experience, and commitment to his responsibilities during the interim period.”
Roe was named chief appraiser in May 2020 after serving for a brief time as interim chief appraiser following the retirement of longtime HCAD leader Greg Stewart. Roe submitted his resignation to the board at its regular meeting last month.
Petree’s background includes being elected tax assessor-collector for Taylor County in 1976 and serving two terms. During his last term, he was named as the first chief appraiser for that county.
Under his leadership, the Taylor County Appraisal District received the Excellence in Assessment Administration award from the International Association of Assessing Officers in 2013, the first appraisal district in Texas to receive the honor. Petree retired from that office that same year.
In 1988, Petree was the recipient of the Texas Association of Appraisal Districts’ Earl Luna Award, which recognized him as the outstanding chief appraiser in Texas.
He was recognized with the Excellence in Education award in 2004 by that same organization for his creation of the Chief Appraiser Institute, a training program for new chief appraisers that is now required by law.
Since 1981, Petree has been a member of the International Association of Assessing Officers. He was elected to the organization’s executive board in 2004 and has served on various committees, including IAAO’s Nominations, Awards, and Education panels.
In 2010, Petree was named IAAO’s Member of the Year.
He was a contributing author to the Assessment Administration textbook written for tax administrators across the world and has authored several articles for publication in IAAO magazines and for the Texas Association of Appraisal Districts.
Petree has also been a member of the Texas Association of Assessing Officers since 1977 and a member of the Texas Association of Appraisal Districts since 1982 where he has served in all office positions. He is a certified instructor for the state of Texas, teaching various courses in appraisal and ethics.
In addition to his role as interim chief appraiser for Hood County, Petree is a licensed facilitator for the Franklin-Covey organization and teaches “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” and “Great Leaders, Great Teams, Great Results” to interested persons in government.
According to the press release, Petree was the top, unanimous choice of HCAD’s board of directors “to lead HCAD while ensuring a smooth transition up to hiring and including training the next permanent chief appraiser.”
