On Monday, the board overseeing the Bexar Central Appraisal District is expected to confirm a new member who is well-known in conservative circles — and currently employed by a Koch-backed group that advocates for limited government and cutting taxes.
Jonathan “Jon” Melendez, a grassroots engagement director at Americans for Prosperity, was among 15 candidates who applied for a temporary appointment after board member Robert “Bob” Bruce died in March.
That list included several former elected officials, including former state Rep. Diana Arevalo (D-San Antonio) and former Harlandale ISD Board President David Sosa.
But an ad-hoc committee chose Melendez as the top candidate to replace Bruce, who also had held leadership positions with major conservative groups, and spent his time on the board championing a plan that successfully froze contested appraisals for a single year.
Appraisal districts are responsible for assessing properties’ taxable value — and came under scrutiny several years ago when such values were skyrocketing.
In response to residents’ frustration, state lawmakers created the new elected positions during the 88th Texas Legislature’s regular session in 2023 to give residents more insight into the property appraisal process, and put them on the ballot as soon as possible the following May.
Though Bexar County hasn’t elected a Republican to a countywide office in more than a decade, voters that year chose the deeply conservative Bruce as one of the board’s three inaugural elected members, along with Naomi Elizabeth Miller, who worked for former Texas House Speaker Joe Straus (R-San Antonio), and Erika Hizel, a small landlord advocate who has a left-leaning political background.
Like Bruce, Melendez is also well-known among local Republicans. He has an undergraduate degree and a Master of Business Administration from Texas A&M University, served in the U.S. Marine Corps, worked as a civilian at the Department of Defense and for General Dynamics before starting his role with Americans for Prosperity in November of 2023.
Americans for Prosperity is one of several right-leaning groups originally funded by billionaire businessmen David and Charles Koch, aimed at rallying grassroots support to influence policy at the state and local level through chapters across the nation.
“I’m not here to grandstand or be an activist on the board,” Melendez said Tuesday. “I’m here to make sure everyone is treated fairly.”
If confirmed, Melendez would serve through the most critical part of the appraisal district board’s work — approving a two-year reappraisal plan that must be confirmed this fall.
It’s typically an administrative role, not policy-setting. But in Tarrant County, newly elected conservatives used that process to experiment with sweeping changes aimed at lowering taxes, including less frequent appraisals and a cap on the amount a property’s taxable value can be increased from one year to the next.
The open position Melendez would be filling — as well as the other two elected board seats — are up for reelection in November.
All of the positions serve at large and the offices are nonpartisan, so there’s no primary. Candidate filing runs July 17 through Aug. 17, and Melendez said he plans to run for a full term.
The three elected members serve alongside other representatives chosen by the local taxing entities on a nine-member board.
To replace Bruce, the board formed an ad-hoc committee consisting of two appointed members, Dave Gannon and Ralph E. Barksdale, as well two elected members, Hizel and Miller, who helped narrow down the candidates.
They met briefly with all 15 applicants over Zoom, before conducting a formal in-person interview with five finalists, and selecting Melendez as their finalist.
Of all the applicants considered, Hizel said he displayed some of the clearest understanding of the appraisal district’s role in the taxing process. Plus — in the spirit of improving transparency — she felt like it was important for the board to maintain some ideological diversity.
“He will do well in the legacy of Mr. Bruce,” Hizel said.
