Nov. 14 — Current Johnson County Central Assessment District Board Chairman Duaine Goulding entered Tuesday night with 350 of the 834 votes needed to secure re-election. Cleburne City Council action increased Goulding’s vote total to 599, leaving him with 249 votes to find another seat. Cleburne council members cast all of the city’s 249 votes for Goulding, who is seeking a second term on the board.

“There will be a vote in the city of Burleson soon,” said Cleburne resident Craig Hundley. “I think we have their support, which will put Duaine over the top and allow some votes to go to our other candidates.”

Amy Lingo, another board member running for a second term, received the required number of votes earlier this month, thanks to the Johnson County Commissioners Court. The court awarded Lingo enough votes to secure re-election and allocated the rest to Goulding.

In addition to the district, cities, school districts, and other political entities within the district also receive varying amounts of votes for candidates.

Also running for re-election is John Wood, who is also running for his second term. Names seeking their first terms on the board include: James Cockrell, Brannon Potts, Cesar Diaz, Benjamin Bruce Gibson and Lauren Pate.

Speaking at Tuesday’s council meeting, Hundley and others lobbied for Cockrell, Potts and Wood, as well as Goulding. None of the speakers supported Diaz, Gibson or Pate.

Hundley referred to the remaining three as mystery candidates put forward by Godley ISD Superintendent Rich Dear.

“I mean no harm, but during the nomination process, (GISD Trustee Kayla Lain) was nominating our candidates, and Dear put forward three mystery candidates at the last minute. I guarantee you, there isn’t even one of them in this room tonight.”

It was neither.

Goulding said the current board is well-rounded and said he would compare it to any CAD board in the state. Goulding and others also praised the diversity of board members, citing members with previous government, private sector and nonprofit work experience.

“We made commitments to you last year,” Goulding said. “We are committed to transparency and accountability, and I think we deliver on those.”

Goulding highlighted the CAD’s improved website is now easier to maneuver and the increased role of the department’s liaison with taxpayers.

“There was liaison with taxpayers for years, but it was a well-kept secret,” Goulding said. “It’s no longer a secret. It helps taxpayers, it helps them with their dealings with CAD.”

Goulding said the current board has reduced office band fees by 60% and reduced the annual budget submitted by more than $400,000, both of which have saved taxpayer money.

Current board members also make board meetings more open and transparent, Goulding said.

“We had up to 80 members of the public at the meetings,” Goulding said. “Some of them are pretty outspoken about their views on property taxes.”

Cleburne Mayor Scott Cain said there’s still a lot to be done to address skyrocketing property taxes at the state level, but he also praised the “transparent and positive” approach taken by current Johnson County CAD members.

“Our goal is to be a more innovative, more effective and efficient CAD board,” Goulding said. “We’ve made progress, but we still have a lot of work to do.”

Wood talked about the board’s diversity and approach to property taxes and valuation.

“The meetings are for individuals and organizations that pay taxes,” Wood said. “This is a bit unusual. We usually choose one side or the other, but the diversity on our board has really stopped that. We’re all committed to making transparency important.”

Cockrell, a former Mansfield City Council member, expressed a desire to fight for residents tired of “exorbitant assessments” and restore public trust through fair and equitable tax assessments.

Although former city manager Tina White is not running for election this year, she praised the current board’s accomplishments so far.

“The level of professionalism of the previous board was disgraceful,” White said. “We’ve upgraded that and are looking at all the procedures and processes. We’ve done a lot of good work, but there’s still a lot to do.”

Cain said the current board has helped take back power at the local level.

“That’s what representative government is all about,” Cain said. “Our job is to represent the voters. Sometimes we have to make tough calls and deal with different issues, but at the end of the day, it’s not about us and the public. That’s why (Cleburne City Council) is very professional in business and professional taxpayer in our commitment to Transparency.”

Hundley said after the meeting that he hoped to get enough votes to return Goulding to the board.

“I think we’ll get to that number soon,” Hundley said. “Going forward, we will continue to go to cities and school districts that have not yet voted to get enough votes for Wood, Cockrell and Potts.”