Hidalgo Appraisal Review Board Staff Numbers
Since there are few checks on the power of the Hidalgo County Appraisal District (HCAD), the appraisal review board (ARB) becomes an important institution by default. Broken down into trios of experts, the board is meant to be an impartial judge when formal appeals are brought against HCAD. 69% of those appeals sided with the taxpayer in 2024, including 78% for homeowners. With so much on the line, enroll in O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today and get a great team to help you appeal to the board or any other tax protest. There are never any hidden fees or costs, and you will never pay unless your taxes are lowered. Enroll, relax, and save.
Total Number of ARB Members - Hidalgo CountySource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| ARB Members | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Total Number | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 6 |
| New ARB Members | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| Returning ARB Members | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 6 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since The appraisal district can’t possibly accurately value all the properties in the county. They need your help to correct over-valuation.
Hidalgo County Appraisal Review Board (ARB)
The appraisal review board (ARB) is key to the property tax appeal process in Hidalgo County and the rest of Texas. A trio of experts come together to be impartial judges in formal appeals between taxpayers and the Hidalgo County Appraisal District (HCAD) . In 2024, 69% of hearings resulted in a reduction for the taxpayer. If you want to add your own success to that total, consider filing your tax appeal with O’Connor. As one of the largest property tax firms in America, O’Connor has been taking on CADs for over 50 years and knows the best way to put together a case to impress the board.
ARB Members
For such an important cog in the machine of protecting taxpayers, the ARB is tiny, with only six members. This means that there are two boards that can meet at any time, since each requires three members. The board was stuck at seven members until 2023, when it finally expanded to 10. However, 2024 took a step back and ended up with six members. All six members serving in 2024 had previously served on the board. There were 2,871 formal appeals in 2024, meaning that each triad heard 1,435.50, typically at around 30 minutes each.
How Many Days did ARB Hold Hearings in Hidalgo County?Source: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Days of ARB Hearings | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Days of ARB hearings | 24 | 20 | 31 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 40 | 58 | 51 | 65 | 38 |
Texas property owners should protest annually To avoid a surprise-increase in property taxes. This happens when the notice of value was lost. A large error in a home value is difficult to fix if not corrected through the normal appeal process.
Days with a Hearing
Once appeal season begins, the ARB must meet every weekday until their docket is completely finished. This means that as the number of appeals increases, so do the days worked. The ARB met for a record of 65 days in 2023, despite adding more members. 2024 saw a large drop in days met, going to only 38. This was due to the sudden fall in the number of formal hearings. Meeting days have been growing since 2019, making this retreat unusually high.
ARB CompensationSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Per Diem Rate | |||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Lowest per diem to ARB | $150 | $150 | $150 | $150 | $150 | $150 | $150 | $150 | $150 | $150 | $175 |
| Median per diem to ARB | $225 | $225 | $225 | $250 | $300 | $300 | $300 | $300 | $300 | $300 | $350 |
| Highest per diem to ARB | $300 | $300 | $300 | $350 | $450 | $450 | $450 | $450 | $450 | $450 | $525 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Texas property taxes are the largest tax payment for many Texans.
Compensation
The members of the ARB are property experts or at least have significant training in appraisal. Therefore, they are usually compensated in a way befitting of their expertise. The highest pay that some members received was $525 a day, while the lowest was $175 per day. The median pay ended up being $350. The ARB in Hidalgo is quite well-paid, which hopefully translates into informed and fair arbiters.