Appraisal-district candidate alleges mishandled hearings, urges ARB reforms during Crowley ISD public comment

A candidate for the appraisal district board used the school board's open forum to accuse appraisal officials of mishandling property-tax hearings and to urge changes to the appraisal review process.

The speaker, identified in the record as Syeda Bilqis Syed (who also introduced herself verbally during public comment), said she has attended appraisal-related meetings for years and alleged that, during 2020–21 hearings, evidence was discarded and taxpayer concerns were not given proper weight. She also said the appraisal district sent incorrect notices to 22,000 property owners in 2025, a claim she said she flagged to elected officials.

"Since 2024, I'm very, very actively involved with that...and my priorities would be uniform and equal appraisal every year," she told the board and identified herself as a former appraisal review board member and a mechanical engineer.

She urged an independent appraisal review board, regular audits of the tax roll (every three years) and greater adherence to the property tax code, saying she believes the appraisal district resolved about 98% of protests without review by the ARB. The speaker concluded by asking for votes in the upcoming November ballot.

The board did not respond during the public comment period; the remarks were part of the meeting’s public comment section and did not trigger a formal board action in the transcript.