LCAD Budgets Total $5.73 MM / Year
Taxpayers only think about their appraisal district around tax time, if at all. In reality, this small organization wields great power. The Lubbock Central Appraisal District (LCAD) has only 43 full-time employees, but their appraisals are the foundation for tax bills. Being understaffed has led to cutting corners, rough estimates, and mass appraisals that cost taxpayers by using incorrect information and values. Join O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today and get expert support in your appeal or protest against LCAD. There is no upfront cost to join. 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 | 3.942 | 3.905 | 4.027 | 4.171 | 4.192 | 4.500 | 4.590 | 4.689 | 4.879 | 5.381 | 5.732 | |
| ARB Operations Budget | 0.1380 | 0.1533 | 0.1553 | 0.1902 | 0.2270 | 0.2468 | 0.3236 | 0.3646 | 0.3673 | 0.393 | 0.401 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since YOU can spend YOUR money better than the government.
LCAD Operations and Budgets
LCAD does not control taxes or rates; those are set by dozens of taxing bodies. These include school districts, MUDs, colleges, emergency services, and countless others. The district does appraise properties, and these values are then multiplied by tax rates to create bills. Because of this fact, the organization wields far more power than a tiny, underfunded organization should.
Because of a small number of appraisers, LCAD is often forced to use mass appraisals to get a general feel for homes and businesses in Lubbock County. This leaves these values open to being incorrect, something that can only be fixed by property tax protests. O’Connor is here to help and has over 50 years of experience taking on appraisal districts. As one of the largest firms in the nation, O’Connor has both national resources and local expertise, which are the perfect balance to land a tax reduction.
Total CAD Budget Including ARB
The 2024 budget for LCAD was $5.73 million, the most ever for the district. The budget has been growing gradually over the past decade, with each year seeing a small stairstep increase. The appraisal review board (ARB), on the other hand, has seen very little growth in its budget and saw a meager $400,900 in 2024. Responsible for acting as impartial judges in formal appeals, the ARB is an important guard against out-of-control property values. With a growing importance placed on formal hearings, the ARB will need to get better financing in the near future.
Total Property Taxes Levied Lubbock 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 | 0.3725 | 0.3907 | 0.4159 | 0.4399 | 0.4410 | 0.4771 | 0.4914 | 0.5194 | 0.5725 | 0.5598 | 0.5933 | |
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.
Total Amount of Property Taxes Levied
The values of LCAD were used by various taxing entities to levy over $593.30 million in taxes in 2024 alone. This was the highest seen in the county’s history and capped off a trend that has been going on for over a decade. While Lubbock County property taxes have not doubled in the past decade like many other major Texas counties, these increasing taxes can easily be a problem for homeowners or small businesses. Increasing protests may curtail this somewhat, as they have done in several high-dollar counties.
FTE Positions In Budget Total - Lubbock 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 | 44 | 44 | 41 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 40 | 40 | 42 | 43 | 43.1 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Valuation is a subjective matter where reasonable people can differ.
FTE Positions in Total Budget
Appraisal districts are kept small for the most part, and LCAD fits this mold perfectly. There were only 43 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees in 2024. The district has mostly stayed the same size for a decade, though 43 is a little on the higher side. Considering the size of Lubbock County and the diversity of real estate, this is a tiny roster that has been stretched to its breaking point on several occasions.
FTEs Assigned to the Appraisal - Lubbock 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 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 20 | |
| Residential | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | |
| Commercial | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |
| All Other | 13 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since It is a great way to slow the growth of government spending (of your money).
FTEs Assigned to Property Appraisal
The district’s roster gets even more pared down when the number of appraisers is looked at. As of 2024, there were only 20 full-time appraisers, one of the lowest numbers in the past decade. Of these appraisers, nine were responsible for residential real estate, while four handled Commercial properties. The remaining seven handled everything else. While it can be argued that improving technology makes this roster adequate, history shows that the district’s understaffing ends up costing taxpayers significant money in incorrect taxes.