Rockwall’s mayor is sounding off on the appraisal district after a meeting that he says he didn’t get proper notice about.
Rockwall's mayor is sounding off on the appraisal district after a meeting that he says he didn't get proper notice about.
When crunching the numbers of the budget from the Rockwall Central Appraisal District, Rockwall Mayor Jim Pruitt got upset.
"This taxpayer monies we are using here," Pruitt told NBC 5.
Pruitt found that four employees were getting proposed raises of more than 10 percent. He was also upset that the board didn't deliver him notice about the public meeting on the proposed budget. So the mayor wrote an open letter to taxpayers about both of the issues.
"How do you look at all these city employees and say that, 'Look, you guys are only worth four or five percent if you are a police officer putting your life on the line out there, or a fireman, but you can look over at the appraisal district and you are worth less than those employees that are getting 10, 11, 12 percent raises?'" Pruitt said.
The chief appraiser declined an on-camera interview but released a lengthy statement regarding the raises, which says, in part, "We have surveyed other districts in the area to determine the typical salaries for appraisal district employees so that we can keep these employees."
After the mayor's concerns, the leader of the board of directors of the appraisal district has called a meeting for next Tuesday.
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"I think that we need to go back through. All the notice needs to take place, as per the statute, and I think at that point — once we have the hearing, everybody gets their say, we make sure that all the entities are aware and can present their positions on it — we look at the budget numbers again," said Ben Weible, chairman of the Rockwall Central Appraisal District Board of Directors.
The mayor has gone one step further.
There is a resolution in front of Rockwall Council to reject this budget, but other cities would have to pass resolutions as well.
"If I see something that looks like it's a waste, you are going to hear from me," Pruitt said.
Rockwall Mayor Letter to Taxpayers
Appraisal District Statement
