What HCAD does
HCAD is responsible for appraising taxable property in Harris County for property-tax purposes. The appraisal district determines property values and administers exemptions; local taxing units later adopt their own tax rates.
CRIS MOSES FOR HCAD • POSITION 3
Understanding HCAD
A clear guide to what the Harris Central Appraisal District does, what its elected board oversees, and where accountability belongs.
What the Board of Directors does
The board governs the appraisal district. Its responsibilities include oversight, budgeting, chief-appraiser accountability, district administration, and statutory duties connected to the Appraisal Review Board.
What the Appraisal Review Board does
The ARB is the independent body that hears disputes between property owners and the appraisal district. A board director should protect the integrity and quality of that process without deciding individual protests.
What HCAD does not do
HCAD does not set the tax rates adopted by Harris County, school districts, cities, community colleges, and other taxing units. Promising to personally lower tax rates would misstate the authority of the office.
POSITION 3
Why Position 3 matters
Position 3 is one of three seats elected directly by Harris County voters to the nine-member HCAD Board. Because it is elected countywide, the director is accountable to property owners across every part of Harris County — not a single taxing unit or neighborhood. The seat helps shape how HCAD is governed: budget priorities, transparency and taxpayer-service standards, performance expectations for the chief appraiser, data and technology oversight, and statutory responsibilities involving the Appraisal Review Board. The job is not to set tax rates or decide individual appraisals; it is to make sure the system serving property owners is fair, understandable, efficient, and accountable.
Position 3 gives Harris County property owners a direct voice in how HCAD is governed. The director's responsibility is to ask hard questions, demand measurable results, protect a fair process, and make sure HCAD is easier for taxpayers to understand and navigate.
GOVERNANCE
Four rules for responsible board service
Govern, do not micromanage
Set standards, demand results, and hold leadership accountable without interfering in individual appraisals.
Protect independence
Taxpayer protests should be decided on evidence and law, not political pressure.
Demand measurable service
The board should know whether HCAD is becoming faster, clearer, more accurate, and easier to navigate.
Tell the truth about the office
Voters deserve clear explanations about what HCAD controls and what belongs to taxing entities.