Fort Worth Weekly Shining a Light on TAD A whistleblower complaint and recently released emails offer a rare glimpse into the inner workings of Tarrant County’s mysterious appraisal district. By Static Letters from the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD) are met with dread these days. With property values on the rise — local home values have increased 74% since 2011, according to TAD — the governmental group that appraises properties and awards exemptions is often tasked with telling homeowners they need to cough up an extra several hundred or even thousands of dollars year after year. A little more than 200 TAD staffers handle accounting and billing for property owners within 70 Tarrant County jurisdictions. While district staffers require accurate documentation and transparency from local taxpayers, TAD leadership is often far less open about disclosing internal communications or whistleblower complaints. The Tarrant County District Attorney’s office recently blocked email requests we made that sought communications from the county’s current tax assessor-collector.