Misty D. Taylor is seeking the Hockley County Tax Assessor-Collector position in the 2024 March Primary Election.
A Hockley County resident since 2015, is an active member of the Levelland Noon Lions Club, as well as in her children and grandchildren’s activities.
The Taylor family consists of her husband Josh Taylor, their children Jace Taylor, an Army veteran, daughter and stay-athome mom to grandchildren Taleigh and Malaki, Taci Zapata, and husband Chris, of Sundown, and the Taylor’s youngest son, Gage Taylor, a freshman at Levelland High School.
“I have really enjoyed the relationships we have built with the taxpayers since I have been there,” said Taylor. “There are some that come in very rarely and some that come more often. It is not a place people would like to be but we enjoy everyone when they come in.”
Currently serving as the deputy clerk for the Hockley County Tax Office, she is looking to replace the current Tax Assessor-Collector Debra Bramlett who is set to retire in December.
“I have been working closely with Debra for the past two years and she pushed me to take all the necessary courses and trainings to hopefully be elected in the position,” said Taylor. “She saw something in me that made her feel comfortable to help push me to get these qualifications and move forward.
Joining the tax office in 2020 as the office book keeper, Taylor then cross-trained to function as the deputy clerk for the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.
Taylor has enrolled and completed, to date, 52 hours of continuing education covering topics such as: Property Tax Administration (PTEC 101), Property Tax Administration (PTEC 102), Property Tax Appraisal, Fundamentals of the ADA, Ethics for County Tax Assessor-Collectors, Budget Planning, Public Records: Release, Management & Retention, Title Fraud Training, Motor Vehicle Sales Tax & Fee Collection, Voter Registration & Chapter 19 Funds, FLSA, Accounting in a County Tax Office, Personnel Management in the Public Sector, and New County Tax Assessor. Taylor plans on continuing to train in the laws executed by the State of Texas for both Property Tax and Motor Vehicles.
Taylor explained that a quarter of the business within the tax office consists of motor vehicles and the remaining portion focuses on property tax. Being part of the staff and receiving the in-house training, Taylor feels that is one of the advantages she retains when it comes to enuring constituents within the county that she is able to perform in the position.
“Working with this group of girls in the tax office has been a blessing,” said Taylor. “We all feel like family and we work very hard to get our job done.”
Looking at the position and what it entails, Taylor explained that there are some issues that are out of their control, but there are certainly things that can be addressed and improved upon.
“If something is wrong or not done right, it is up to whomever picks up the phone and is ultimately their responsibility to answer individuals questions and help the taxpayer feel at ease,” explained Taylor. “It is important for everyone within the office to have that knowledge base to address the concerns that taxpayers have.”
Talking with community members, Taylor has had one-onconversations when possible. She explained that she is simply making the effort to introduce herself to constituents and ask any questions they feel compelled to.