Galveston County Central Appraisal District Budgets Total $7.61MM / Year
Despite ranking as possibly the most important government institution in the county, the Galveston County Central Appraisal District (GCAD) is understaffed, underfunded, and underqualified to assess properties. With only 54 full-time employees, 19 of them appraisers, GCAD cannot accurately assess properties, leading to inflated bills created by guesses and computer models. Join O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today and get the best ally possible for disputing these incorrect taxes. No cost to join, and you only pay if your protest lowers your taxes. 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 | 4.929 | 5.202 | 5.404 | 5.903 | 5.988 | 6.001 | 6.342 | 6.554 | 7.261 | 7.613 | 7.928 | |
| ARB Operations Budget | 0.0450 | 0.0450 | 0.0450 | 0.0450 | 0.0750 | 0.0850 | 0.0850 | 0.1050 | 0.1250 | 0.125 | 0.130 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since YOU can spend YOUR money better than the government.
GCAD Operations and Budgets
The Galveston County Central Appraisal District (GCAD) is arguably the most important government institution in the county. Responsible for cataloging, assessing, and levying taxes, GCAD is responsible for funding every aspect of the county. This gives the humble little organization an outsized impact on the lives of citizens and the operations of the police, the fire department, and other key institutions.
There are few ways to fight against GCAD, but the best is property tax appeals. You can do it alone, but more taxpayers are finding it beneficial to join forces with experts on their road to fair taxation. As one of the largest property tax firms in the nation, O’Connor is here to help. With a roster of over 185,000 clients across the country and many branch offices in hotspots, O’Connor has a strong national reach. Based in Houston, O’Connor also has the local knowledge, connections, and expertise needed to take on GCAD and other appraisal districts.
GCAD Total CAD Budget Including ARB
GCAD, like all other appraisal districts, is quite svelte when it comes to budget and size. As of 2023, the entire budget was only $7.61 million. This was the highest on record, and the budget has been slowly creeping up every year, a rarity in Texas. While funding for the CAD may be kept up somewhat, the same cannot be said for the4 appraisal review board (ARB). A vital impartial body needed to handle formal appeals, the ARB has become the main vector for administrative appeals in Galveston County. As of 2023, the ARB only had a budget of $125,000 with which to pay several three-person boards. With the growing influence of formal appeals, this is simply not enough.
Total Property Taxes Levied Galveston 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 | 0.5964 | 0.6533 | 0.6977 | 0.7150 | 0.7451 | 0.7711 | 0.8006 | 0.8678 | 0.9491 | 0.9601 | 0.9363 | |
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.
Galveston County Total Amount of Property Taxes Levied
Taxes in the county have nearly doubled in the past decade, going from $59.64 million in 2014 to $96.01 million in 2023. This figure would have surely grown more, but there is only so much room in the county for expansion, something the likes of Travis or Harris counties do not have to deal with. These rising taxes have proven to be quite detrimental to both homes and businesses and have often forced both to sell in the past decade. This has pushed the county to be even more high-priced than before and could have a knock-on effect for locals for years to come.
FTE Positions In Budget Total - Galveston 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 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 50 | 50 | 53 | 54 | 54 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Valuation is a subjective matter where reasonable people can differ.
FTE Positions in the Budget Total
While the budget for GCAD has been going upward every year, the same cannot be said for their roster of full-time equivalent employees (FTEs). There was a total of 54 FTEs in 2023, only up eight people from 2014. This means an increased workload across the board, which then leads to either cutting corners or making mistakes when it comes to property assessments. This is always fertile ground for appeals and one of the main reasons that the county is one of the most protested in Texas.
FTEs Assigned to the Appraisal - Galveston 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 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 18 | |
| Residential | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 8 | |
| Commercial | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | |
| All Other | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since It is a great way to slow the growth of government spending (of your money).
GCAD FTEs Assigned to the Property Appraisal
To compound issues with understaffing, the majority of GCAD FTEs were not even appraisers. There were only 19 full-time appraisers in 2023, which is only an improvement of three from 2014. This is a tiny workforce for the task assigned. There are 200,300 parcels in Galveston County, which means each appraiser must assess 10,542 properties each year. That is certainly not a practical number, which leads to mistakes. 11 appraisers were used for residential properties, three for commercial real estate, and two for all other tasks.