Statement TAX

Hon. John R. Ames, CTA

Tax Assessor/Collector

Mission Statement Provide Dallas County Citizens with Excellent Service

using Innovative Technology to Ensure Quality Collections.

The DALLAS COUNTY TAX STATEMENT is an official publication of the Dallas County Tax Office.

Editorial Articles are accepted and considered for publication, but do not

reflect the opinion of the editor, publisher or the Dallas County Tax Office.

Publisher

Disha Wesley

disha.wesley@dallascounty.org

Editor

Paul E. Hamilton

pehamilton@dallascounty.org

ISSUE: XXIV OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2014

QUALITY MEASURES

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RETIREMENTS

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EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH

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In this Issue!

TAX ASSESSOR / COLLECTOR MESSAGE… The Tax Office is in full swing of our busy property tax collections season. I’m excited to report that

as of December 31, 2014, collection percentages have exceeded last year’s record

collections! Thanks to the hard working Tax Office staff members for making sure statements were

mailed timely and payments are being accepted accurately.

Check out Around the Tax Office on page 5 to read about the great job the Oak Cliff Branch is

doing. Congratulations to this quarter’s employees of the month, Frank Garcia, Amanda

Andrews & Lety Dominguez. You all represent the best of the Tax Office and I’m proud to have

you on our team. Way to go Ramona Lee for being awarded the Tax Office Employee of the

Year. Your dedication and commitment to your job has not gone unnoticed.

Sadly, we say goodbye to this quarter’s retirees; Betty Holland, Candi Scarso & Kathy

Ivy. Collectively, they had over 55 years of experience in the Tax Office. Each of these ladies left

the Dallas County Tax Office better than they found it. Thank you for your service to the Citizens

of Dallas County. We are excited for your new adventures!

Wow – The Halloween costumes, Pumpkin Painting Contest and Gingerbread House Decorating

Contest have reached new levels! I can truly see how creative our employees are and your talents

and competitive spirits are alive and well. Here’s looking forward to next year’s contests (rumor is,

the plans are already being drawn up!)

Happy New Year everyone. Thanks for all you do and thanks for all your support of the team! I am

humbled to serve as your Dallas County Tax Assessor/Collector.

- John R. Ames, CTA

AROUND THE TAX OFFICE

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BIRTHDAYS

ANNIVERSARIES

DECEMBER

Juan Zamora 1

Vanessa Kelly 2

Domonique Veasley 2

Krystle Curtis 4

Davette Rodgers 5

Sonia Carrizal 6

Bonnie Mola 8

Lorie Phillips 8

Chrystal Thomas 8

Shannon Burton 10

Rachelle Dunham 10

D. J. Cavazos 14

Zoraida Carrazco 15

Felicia Fernandez 17

Patricia Perez 21

Karla Yates 26

Charette Green 27

Gloria Garcia-Rivera 28

Paul E. Hamilton 28

Deborah Bloomer 30

DaVanta Green 30

Darlene Beck 31

Kelleye Dunn-Richardson 31

OCTOBER NOVEMBER

2 Years

Marie Cota

Draopadi Fermin-Mendez

Wanda Helm

Jeri Nelson

3 Years

Erica Goodman

Kristin Miller

Florence Watson

4 Years

Omar Moreno

Cathy Olivarez

Ron Williams

7 Years

Toni Jones

8 Years

Vickie Dykes

11 Years

Betty Bruce

Sany Sun

13 Years

Paulina Ramirez

16 Years

Candi Scarso

19 Years

Marsha Otterson

21 Years

Rhonda Hadnot

DECEMBER

1 Year

Debra Hearn

2 Years

Mason Gonzalez

Sally Stephens

3 Years

Colby Sims

4 Years

Linda Rowell

5 Years

Wendy Hernandez - Alcala

Donnia Beasley

Sonia Carrizal

6 Years

Felicia Fernandez

7 Years

Noemi Vazquez

9 Years

Linda Levy

Irma Mendez

13 Years

Nytosha Houston

NOVEMBER

Ryan Smith 3

Sergio Quintero 7

Ana Rodriguez 8

Morgan McDougal 9

Angelique Harrison 9

Jessie Waldron 12

Margarita De Leon 16

Maricela Gomez 18

Marilyn Hickman 18

Eric Mauricio 19

Christina Benedict 21

Tanya Bailey 22

Vickie Dykes 29

Tarsha LeSueur 29

Almira Rivera 29

OCTOBER

Donnia Beasley 1

Irene Hernandez 1

Jacob Cortez 1

Melissa Rodrigues 2

Tina Garcia 4

Anita Netkum 5

Janetta Wilson 6

Jose Delgado 8

Paulina Ramirez 10

Cheryl Smith 14

Kristin Miller 23

Tieraney Simpson 25

Crystal Nevarez 25

Eric Garcia 26

Eulane Hart 29

Elida Torres 30

Connie Stinson 31

2 Years

Disha Wesley

3 Years

Sharon Coleman-Rankin

Imarisha Garrett-Pace

Danyelle Spillman

4 Years

Carmen Sanchez

5 Years

Cheryl Patterson

Celia Salas

6 Years

George Moore

7 Years

Pam Gibson

Yul Jones

Brenda Lopez

Melissa Matta

8 Years

Charette Green

9 Years

Elizabeth Nedd

10 Years

Betty Holland

11 Years

Glenda Jesttes

15 Years

Christina Benedict

17 Years

Willie Mae Nobles

18 Years

Deb Langford

24 Years

Alvinia Barge

31 Years

Chris Burns

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TOP PRODUCERS The following branches are this quarter’s top producers in these categories.

OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER

Vehicle Titles Grand Prairie 7,728 Grand Prairie 6,267 Grand Prairie 7,416

Processed Richardson 6,389 North Dallas 5,501 North Dallas 5,651

North Dallas 5,904 Richardson 4,313 Richardson 5,004

Registrations Mesquite 14,139 North Dallas 10,161 Grand Prairie 12,568

Processed Garland 12,302 Grand Prairie 9,618 Garland 12,032

North Dallas 12,073 Garland 9,397 North Dallas 11,803

Property Tax Oak Cliff 1,214 Oak Cliff 1,072 Oak Cliff 2,744

Transactions Mesquite 646 Garland 748 North Dallas 2,214

Duncanville 632 Mesquite 662 Grand Prairie 2,002

TITLES PROCESSED

146,413

CALLS ANSWERED

71,836

REGISTRATIONS PROCESSED

340,297

OVER THE COUNTER PROPERTY TAX

PAYMENTS

49,830

CHECKS PROCESSED BY OUR REMITTANCE PROCESSING SYSTEM

282,114 *Published one quarter behind for audit verification.

JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER

Duncanville 100% Duncanville 100% Garland 100%

Oak Cliff 100% Mesquite 100% Mesquite 90%

Customer Care 81% Oak Cliff 100% Oak Cliff 90%

Garland 80% Garland 90% North Dallas 85%

Mesquite 80% Grand Prairie 87% Customer Care 81%

Richardson 80% Customer Care 81% Richardson 80%

North Dallas 77% Richardson 80% Duncanville 75%

Grand Prairie 67% North Dallas 77% Grand Prairie 73%

MV Public 58% MV Public 50% MV Public 58%

Mv Operations 50% Mv Operations 50% Mv Operations 50%

INCENTIVES The following department employees have met and exceeded

goals to obtain incentive pay!

SCOFFLAW REJECTIONS

2,101

eSTATEMENTS

6,189

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QUALITY MEASURES

PROMOTIONS

Anintita Netkum Representative Motor Vehicle Administration

Ciera Thomas Representative North Dallas Tax Office

Samuel Chavez Representative Motor Vehicle Operations

NEW REPRESENTATIVES

Angelique Harrison Office Support Downtown Property Tax

Brenda Vasquez Office Support Richardson Tax Office

Crystal Nevarez Office Support Downtown Property Tax

DaVanta Green Office Support Customer Care Center

Destiny Flores Office Support Downtown Property Tax

Dorinda Horton Office Support Downtown Property Tax

Elda Rodriguez Office Support Richardson Tax Office

Francisco Pena-Perales Office Support Grand Prairie Tax Office

Henry Jimenez Office Support Garland Tax Office

Juanita Sanchez Office Support Downtown Property Tax

Laura Cervantes Office Support Downtown Property Tax

Shermika Bennett Lead Representative Downtown Property Tax

Terry Braziel Office Support Accounting - RPS

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The Dallas County Tax Office has expanded its horizons for “Jean Wearing Wednesdays”! Beginning this year, funds were

collected each month and donated to a special cause or charity selected by the Tax Office Cabinet. This was a great way for the

staff to enjoy wearing blue jeans while supporting a great cause. The following is a list of special causes or charities and the amount

of funds raised for this year:

January - National Birth Defects Prevention Network - $798

February - American Heart Association - $768

March - American Diabetes Association - $721

April - Autism Speaks - $1,000

May - Lupus Foundation of America - $694

June - HIV Awareness - $706

July - Texas Scottish Rite Hospital - $816

August - Immunization Awareness (HHS) - $646

September - Alzheimer’s Foundation of America - $584

October - Susan G. Komen - $835.90

November - North Texas Food Bank - $604

December - North Texas Food Bank - $582

Bringing the grand total for the year to $8,754.90.

Way

To

Go

Tax

Office

Employees!!

NEW AT THE TAX OFFICE

CHARITIES

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T he Oak Cliff Branch is well known for running

an efficient office, balancing well, walking the

line and providing excellent customer service to

the taxpayers of Dallas County. Our office

consists of 15 hard-working employees that help assist

taxpayers with property tax, vehicle registration and title

transactions. Our team includes Frank Garcia, Beng Sly,

Nytosha Houston, Gwen Bownds, Sandra Bowie, Barbara

Davis, Renisha Franklin, Maricela Garcia, Chrystal

Thomas, Ema Ruiz, Celia Salas, Jackie Wallace, Maricela

Gomez, Irene Hernandez and Carla Sandoval.

Frank Garcia is the Branch Manager at the Oak Cliff Of-

fice and has been with the Tax Office for three years. Prior

to joining the Oak Cliff team, he was the Branch Manager

at the Mesquite office. He was awarded Employee of the

month in October 2014.

Beng Sly is the Assistant Manager who has been with the

Tax Office for twenty-two years. She was awarded

Employee of the Month in July of 2012. She brings a lot to

the table with her knowledge and experience and is a vital

part of the team.

Nytosha Houston (Lead Representative) has been with the

Tax Office for 13 years. She was awarded Employee of the

Month in March of 2013. She sets up the representatives

for success and enjoys working with the public.

Gwen Bownds (Lead Representative) has been with the

Tax Office for 16 years. She has a positive outlook and is

excited to see what the future holds for the branch.

Oak Cliff representatives strive to run an efficient office

and keep the line moving quickly to make each day a

successful day.

Our information booth is the first stop for our customers.

With a friendly smile, the representative at the

information booth assists the customers with their paper-

work and questions.

The management team assist returning customers, disabled

persons and elderly customers at window #1. Returning

customers will present a ticket to window #1 and manage-

ment gives the work to the respective representative.

The representatives at the dealer station are primarily

responsible for processing the work for dealer and title

service runners that have signed on the multi transaction

board. The representatives assigned to this station gener-

ally have a large workload and averages over 60 titles per

day. When not assisting runners, these representatives

also helps the customers in line.

The representatives at the title and registration stations

are primarily responsible for assisting the customers in line

with their vehicle registration and title transactions. They

utilize excellent customer services skills to help customers

with their paperwork and any other transactions they may

need.

The representatives at the Property Tax stations assist our

customers with their property tax inquiries and payments.

They also assist with the title and registration line when

available.

The Oak Cliff Office is a well-rounded team with years of

experience and camaraderie. We are like a family and treat

each other with grace and respect. We provide Dallas

County Citizens with excellent customer service ensuring

quality collections. The Oak Cliff office was awarded

Branch of the Quarter for the month of July, August and

September of 2014. We have a great team!

Frank Garcia, Chrystal Thomas, Celia Salas, Carla Sandoval,

Irene Hernandez Barbara Davis, Jackie Wallace, Sandra

Bowie, Maricela Garcia, Gwen Bownds,

Beng Sly, Renisha Franklin, Ema Ruiz.

(From left top to right bottom)

AROUND THE TAX OFFICE… OAK CLIFF BRANCH OFFICE

DECEMBER

L eticia “Lety” Dominguez exemplifies the meaning of Customer “CARE”.

She is a hard worker who is also patient. She shows concern for internal

and external customers. She displays a “can-do” attitude and always of-

fers her assistance. On several occasions she has been asked to step into a

lead position because of her “can-do” attitude. She is a self-starter; detail oriented

and operates with minimal assistance. She makes sure her documents are complete

and accurate before submitting. She also keeps a log of all the customer requests she

received so they can be easily tracked when needed. This is one of the ways she goes

the extra mile to fully assist customers. When she finds easier ways to explain

things or gets more detailed information on a subject, she shares it with other staff

members. She never says what she cannot do but instead what she can do to help.

She is most certainly a committed representative to the Tax Office!

OCTOBER

F rank Garcia is the Branch Manager at the Oak Cliff Tax Office. He goes

above and beyond to assist customers. Often he has been observed

interacting with customers to ensure all of their documents are correct. On

several occasions he has helped elderly and disabled customers by putting

their license plates on their vehicles. He does all this with tremendous patience and

joy. His great customer service skills often come in handy to diffuse a problem. As a

manager, Frank cares for his staff. He makes sure that he sets them up for success by

equipping them with adequate knowledge. He is very energetic and the Oak Cliff Tax

Office would not be the same without him!

NOVEMBER

A manda Andrews is an excellent Assistant Manager. Over the past few

months, she did a great job as the interim Branch Manager for the Mes-

quite Tax Office. She is very patient and understanding. She exempli-

fies great leadership skills to keep the team together. She has a positive

attitude towards work responsibilities, co-workers and customers. She served as a

great role model for others. She has the willingness to exercise leadership. She takes

initiative and accepts and carries out additional responsibilities when required. She

is definitely an asset to the Tax Office!

Frank Garcia

Oak Cliff Tax Office

Amanda Andrews

Mesquite Tax Office

Leticia Dominguez

Customer Care Center

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EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

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Congratulations to Betty Holland for celebrating her 10th anniversary with Dallas County.

Congratulations to Christina Benedict of Motor Vehicle Department for celebrating her 15th

anniversary with Dallas County.

Congratulations to Disha Chauhan of Administration on becoming Mrs. Joy Wesley. Woo Hoo!!

Congratulations to following employees for celebrating their 5th anniversary with Dallas County.

Cheryl Patterson

Grand Prairie Tax Office Sonia Carrizal

Garland Tax Office

Congratulations to Nicole Sanders of the Richardson Tax Office on arrival of her “Prince”, Jaxson

Xavier Curry. He was born on October 14, 2014, weighing 6 lbs. and 12 oz.

Employee of the Year:

Ramona Lee Lead Representative, Accounting - RPS

These Dallas County Tax Office Employee Of The Month

recipients were invited and honored by the Commission-

ers Court. From left top to right bottom, Charette Green,

Kathy Ivy, Ramona Lee, Laketricia Merrett, Leticia

Dominguez, Frank Garcia, Marilyn Hickman (guest),

Brenda Lopez, Irma Mendez and Connie Stinson.

PERSONAL RECOGNITIONS

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

Congratulations to Kathy Ivy on retiring from Dallas County after 29 years of faithful service.

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Congratulations to Candi Scarso on retiring from Dallas County after 16 years of faithful service.

Congratulations to Betty Holland on retiring from Dallas County after 10 years of faithful service.

RETIREMENTS

DALLAS COUNTY TAX OFFICE HALLOWEEN COSTUME WINNERS

1st Place!

“Captain Jack Sparrow” Fructuoso Garcia Jr.

Grand Prairie Tax Office

2nd Place!

“Flo from Progressive” Laura Mati

Tax Office Admin

3rd Place! “The Avengers Team” Jason Downing, Cynthia Herrera, Reina Reyna,

Sharon Rankin - Coleman, Vickie Dykes & LaTara Daniels

Motor Vehicle Admin

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HALLOWEEN 2014

DALLAS COUNTY TAX OFFICE PUMPKIN DECORATING CONTEST WINNER

“Motor Vehicle Admin Team”

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HALLOWEEN 2014

Ugly Sweater Day

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CHRISTMAS 2014

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Dallas County Tax Office Gingerbread House Contest Winner and Bragging Rights Owner

“Customer Care Center”

CHRISTMAS 2014

The following Tax Office Employees and Departments have received

Citizen Appreciations this Quarter.

Almira Rivera Elida Urena Kim Preston Rochelle Clayborn

Amerika Diaz Elizabeth Nedd Kristin Miller Sandra Bowie

Anthony Kellum Ema Ruiz Leticia Dominguez Sandra Lester

Ashli Bennett Eric Garcia Lorie Phillips Sandra Lopez

Barbara Davis Eric Mauricio Maria Cervantes Sany Sun

Betty Bruce Erica Goodman Mariana Colunga Sergio Quintero

Brenda Lopez Eulane Hart Martha Martinez Shamineke Green

Brittani Rossum Evelyn Rivera Mayra Cisneros Shannon Burton

Carmen Yarborough Felicia Fernandez Mesquite Tax Office Sharon Green

Cathy Reddick Frank Garcia Monica Martinez Sharon Oehler

Chanet Rayford Gabrielle Peters Morgan McDougal Sherwanna Milam

Cheryl Patterson Garland Tax Office Nicole Sanders Sonia Carrizal

Cheryl Smith Glenda Jesttes Nytosha Houston Tanya Bailey

Connie Jones Gloria Garcia - Rivera Oak Cliff Tax Office Tarsha LeSueur

Danielle Hall Grand Prairie Tax Office Omar Moreno Tempestt Shepard

Danielle Wright Gwen Bownds Phyllis Jones The Dallas County Tax Office

Deb Green Hubert Ross II Property Tax Dept Tieraney Simpson

Delmy Flores Imarisha G. Pace Raven Contreras Tina Garcia

Dixie Sanders Jackie Wallace Reina Reyna Toni Jones

Domonique Veasley Jaleesa Odom Renisha Franklin Vanessa Kelly

Donna Higbee Janetta Wilson Ricardo Salas Veronica Alvarez

Donnia Beasley Jessie Waldron Richard Buster Vickie Dykes

Downtown Motor Vehicle Juan Zamora Richardson Tax Office Yvonne Bunkley

Draopadi Fermin - Mendez Karina Castaneda Rita Cathey - Akinlabi

Duncanville Tax Office Kelleye Dunn-Richardson Robin Porter

“I was in the Richardson Tax Office on 12/31/14 doing a motor vehicle

transfer. I was in and out of the office in less than 15 minutes. The

service ladies were very friendly, helpful and efficient. This office

should be commended.

-Judge Jeffrey Rosenfield

(Court of Criminal Appeals No. 2)

Just a note..

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CITIZEN APPRECIATION