John Adams won the Place 3 seat on the Tarrant Appraisal District Board of Directors, defeating Southlake incumbent Matt Bryant, according to unofficial results.

Adams received 282,216 votes, or 58.97%, to Bryant's 196,354 votes, or 41.03%, Community Impact reported. All 223 Tarrant County precincts were tabulated by early morning Nov. 4.

The race carries weight for property tax bills across northeast Tarrant. Bryant voted in September to continue TAD's biennial reappraisal schedule for homes, a policy that froze residential property values at higher levels. Had the board chosen to reappraise, an estimated 195,000 homeowners would likely have received lower tax bills because the housing market dipped, according to the Fort Worth Report.

Adams opposed the policy. He spoke against it at the Sept. 8 board meeting.

"If we as taxpayers are expected to pay taxes annually, it only seems correct that, as taxpayers, we also be afforded the accuracy of an annual reappraisal for the most accurate and fair valuation by which we are taxed," Adams said at the meeting, according to the Fort Worth Report.

The board approved the biennial plan on a 5-4 vote. Bryant, board chairman Rick Barnes and three other members voted in favor. Four members voted against, saying appraisals should happen every year.

Two races head to runoff

No candidate in Place 1 or Place 2 cleared 50%, sending both races to a Dec. 12 runoff, according to an email from TAD's communication department.

In Place 1, Rebecca Hardy led with 209,278 votes, or 40.8%. Byron Haynes finished second with 134,073 votes, or 26.14%. Hardy and Haynes will face each other in the runoff. Phyllis Durbin Grissom placed third with 104,364 votes, and Sayeda Bilquees Syed finished fourth with 65,226 votes.

In Place 2, Ambika Sharma led with 189,765 votes, or 38.91%. Cary Cheshire came in second with 109,028 votes, or 22.36%. Sharma and Cheshire advance to the runoff. Paul Stockard took third with 106,767 votes, and Marshall Hobbs finished fourth with 82,143 votes.

Neither Place 1 member Eric Morris nor Place 2 member Callie Rigney sought re-election. This is the second time TAD has held an election in which residents directly elect a portion of the nine-member board.

The results remain unofficial until canvassed. The TAD board can vote to certify them at its Nov. 17 meeting.

The biennial appraisal policy has rippled into local budgets. Multiple taxing entities blamed TAD's appraisal plan for lower-than-expected revenue, the Fort Worth Report reported in September. Colleyville was considering a 13% tax rate increase, and Fort Worth was weighing tax increases and service cuts to close a $94 million budget shortfall at that time.

The Dec. 12 runoff will determine who fills the remaining two seats on the board.