Dallas appraisal district appoints new head to oversee state law changes

The Dallas Central Appraisal District has named a new executive director to roll out changes by the state legislation that will impact how property tax decisions are made.

On Jan. 1, Shane Docherty will replace Ken Nolan, who announced his retirement after 18 years leading the appraisal district.

DCAD’s budget hovers around $34 million. This year, the district assessed $256 billion in residential and nearly $200 billion in commercial properties across the county.

Docherty is also the presiding officer for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation’s Texas Tax Professional Advisory Committee, according to TDLR’s website.

DCAD declined to comment further, and Docherty did not respond to a request for comment.

Docherty will have to navigate new legislation passed by the Texas Legislature this year. In addition to several procedural changes, the district’s board of directors will include three new members who are elected countywide. Dallas County Tax Assessor-Collector John Ames will also become a voting member of the board.

The board appoints the executive director, approves the annual budget and oversees the district tasked with assessing property values across Dallas County.

Dallas County property values are starting to level off after two years of unprecedented growth.

The appraisal district faced a ransomware attack last year on Election Day. All computers were frozen, emails didn’t work and the website shut down. The district spent $170,000 to regain access to its system, as previously .