Travis Central Appraisal District Budgets
Austin and Travis County have become a hub of the technology, entertainment, and music industries in the past two decades, leading to exponential growth. Yet, the Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD) has not kept up with the times. Armed with only 81 full-time appraisers in 2024 for the hottest real estate market in Texas, the county was forced to levy $6.36 billion in taxes on property they could never truly evaluate. The result is skyrocketing taxes for everyone in the county. Travis County taxpayers can fight back by protesting these taxes, and O’Connor is here to help. Join O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today and pay no hidden fees, no upfront costs, and don’t pay unless you win. Enroll, relax, and save.
Total 2018 CAD Budget Including ARBSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Millions of $ | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Budget | 14.247 | 17.150 | 17.493 | 18.104 | 18.828 | 19.487 | 20.194 | 20.194 | 22.786 | 25.684 | 29.885 | |
| ARB Operations Budget | 0.6350 | 0.3227 | 0.3227 | 0.3397 | 0.2564 | 1.5352 | 1.2013 | 1.2013 | 1.6304 | 1.122 | 1.223 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since YOU can spend YOUR money better than the government.
TCAD Operations and Budgets
Travis County has the most out of control property values and taxes in Texas. As Austin and the surrounding area become a mecca for technology, entertainment, art, and other jobs, the relatively small area is becoming hot real estate. The value of homes has tripled in a decade, putting stress on both taxpayers and the Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD). It is debatable if the organization is up for the task, both present and future, and they seem to have been found wanting on several occasions.
The only way to defend yourself and your property from oppressive costs is to protest your taxes. Informally, formally, or through the courts, you need an experienced property tax consulting firm by your side. That is where O’Connor comes in. Founded in 1974, O’Connor has the depth of experience to help in any tax protest situation. O’Connor is one of the premier property tax firms in the United States and has the manpower to battle TCAD.
TCAD Total CAD Budget Including ARB
Texas appraisal districts serve an important function for the state but may need more oversight. TCAD, along with other appraisal districts, are the primary source of income for Texas, as the state lacks an income tax. The district appraises properties, levies taxes, collects them, and then distributes the money to various taxing entities. These entities include school districts, MUDs, and Travis County itself. TCAD is intended to be a uniting force for various entities.
The problem is that Travis County has grown faster than the district can keep up, not unlike the infrastructure. TCAD has an overall budget of $29.89 million as of 2024, up from $25.68 million from 2023. While competent in improvement, even this improvement of the budget is not enough to support the thunderous growth of Travis County. Worse yet, the budget for the appraisal review board (ARB) has stagnated since 2018. ARB hearings are the primary way that Travis County taxes are protested, yet the ARB budget is only $1.22 million.
Total Property Taxes Levied Travis CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Billions of $ | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Property Taxes Levied | 3.0864 | 3.3891 | 3.6458 | 3.9808 | 4.3697 | 4.6556 | 5.0971 | 5.401 | 5.9662 | 5.8529 | 6.3558 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Appealing annually helps the appraisal district avoid over-taxing a property for both market value and unequal appraisal.
Travis County Total Amount of Property Taxes Levied
While Texas and the United States have seen property values increase at a steady rate, Travis County has seen its own values enter the stratosphere. In many cases, property values have tripled in a decade. While good for those that wish to sell, many have seen treasured homes and businesses become unaffordable. $6.36 billion in taxes were issued in 2024, up from $5.85 billion in 2023. Taxes in the Austin area have doubled in the past decade.
FTE Positions In Budget Total - Travis CADSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| FTEs | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Number of FTEs | 128 | 132 | 131 | 132 | 123 | 125 | 129 | 129 | 143 | 153 | 158 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Valuation is a subjective matter where reasonable people can differ.
FTE Positions in Total Budget
TCAD has a modest staff, possibly too small to achieve what they set out to do. The district had 158 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees in 2024, an increase of only 30 in the past decade. That is not an increase to adequately match the growth of Travis County. These low figures of FTE mean that the appraisers must rely on shotgun-style guestimates to appraise property values, as they cannot take their time to evaluate each property accurately.
FTEs Assigned to the Appraisal - Travis CADSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| FTEs | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| FTEs Appraisal Total | 53 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 62 | 66 | 67 | 67 | 76 | 79 | 81 | |
| Residential | 29 | 32 | 43 | 44 | 44 | 46 | 44 | 47 | 51 | 52 | 52 | |
| Commercial | 10 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 17 | |
| All Other | 14 | 21 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 12 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since It is a great way to slow the growth of government spending (of your money).
TCAD FTEs Assigned to the Property Appraisal
TCAD’s staff are not all appraisers, with only around half of their FTEs being dedicated to assessing property value. There were only 81 total appraisers in the county in 2024, far fewer than required. Of these, 52 were dedicated to residential, with 17 to commercial. To say that 81appraisers in a growing market is inadequate would be an understatement.