The ongoing effort by the Fort Bend County Central Appraisal District to garner support to build a new $6.4 million office facility in Rosenberg took another blow during Tuesday night’s Katy ISD board meeting.

When Board President Joe Adams called for a motion on a resolution supporting the district’s proposal to build the new facility, the item was met with silence from the board.

“The chair will entertain a motion on this,” Adams said.

Trustees sat in silence as Adams waited for a motion. When no one spoke up, Adams moved on to the next item on the board’s agenda.

“Hearing (no motion), no action will be taken on this,” Adams then announced.

The Fort Bend County Appraisal District is looking to build the new facility in Rosenberg, and is asking all taxing entities in the county to help fund the project.

In a letter to the district, appraisal district chair Lee Duggan III said the office is needed because of the county’s burgeoning population. Additionally, a dramatic spike in appraisal appeals has strained the existing building to the breaking point.

“Fort Bend County has experienced high growth over the past ten years and, as a result, the appraisal district has adapted to meet the challenges. Appraised parcels have increased by 69 percent, while protests have increased from approximately 9,800 to over 54,000 per year,” Duggan said in the letter.

He went on to point out the number of taxing units in the county have increased from 98 to 191. To meet an increased workload, staff has been increased by 66 percent.

“Although the appraisal district has been able to effectively control costs, their ability to currently operate efficiently is negatively impacted by the lack of adequate office space. In addition, taxpayers are experiencing reduced levels of customer service due to inadequate meeting space and parking,” Duggan said.

Duggan also stressed the appraisal board conducted a feasibility study and considered five options. Those options included remaining in the current leased facility “as is,” renovating the existing facility, leasing an alternate facility, adding satellite offices or purchasing land and building a new facility.

“The board of directors found the best alternative is for the district to purchase a 12-plus acre tract of land in Rosenberg and construct a new facility, subject to entity approval. The site was selected due to location, expandability and cost,” Duggan explained. “All entities will be required to share in the cost of the facility according to their budget allocation as annually determined by total levy of all participating entities.”

Katy ISD was not the first taxing entity to turn down the appraisal district’s request. It ran into the same lack of support during a recent Fort Bend County Commissioner’s Court meeting.

When County Judge Robert Hebert asked for a motion on the appraisal district’s resolution, no commissioner spoke up.

“The issue fails for lack of a motion,” Hebert said. “Under the law, that will be a ‘no’ vote.”

The same proposal was also turned down by the Fulshear City Council and Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees.

After receiving the “no” vote from Fort Bend ISD in June, the appraisal district briefly pulled the item from an earlier commissioners court agenda. However, after studying alternatives proposed by county commissioners Andy Meyers and Richard Morrison, the district re-submitted the same proposal.

At least 128 of the county’s 191 taxing entities must approve of the project for it to go forward.