Webb Property Tax Protest ARB Tax Savings over $17 MM in 2024
Protests in Webb County are weighted heavily toward businesses, both in number and value. Traditionally, commercial property sees a good deal of value settled formally with the appraisal review board (ARB) in formal appeals. While they have been rarely used in the past, these protests are starting to come into a life of their own, setting records across the board. Join the fight against the Webb County Appraisal District (WCAD) when you join O’Connor’s Property Tax Protection Program™ today. Enroll, relax, and save.
Protests with Written ARB DeterminationSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Thousands | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total protests | 0.460 | 0.307 | 0.269 | 0.338 | 0.407 | 0.545 | 0.733 | 0.920 | 1.612 | 1.656 | 3.022 | |
| Protests single family residential | 0.106 | 0.090 | 0.053 | 0.145 | 0.237 | 0.204 | 0.272 | 0.340 | 0.427 | 0.756 | 0.874 | |
| Protests with all other | 0.354 | 0.217 | 0.216 | 0.193 | 0.170 | 0.341 | 0.461 | 0.580 | 1.185 | 0.900 | 2.148 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Hearing results depend on the appraiser assigned or the ARB; results vary widely. You do not know the appraiser or ARB panel prior to appealing.
Webb County Protests with Written ARB Determination
Protests with the ARB see the taxpayer and WCAD match their evidence against one another in front of a three-person panel of experts. Thanks to being impartial, the board chooses the winner based on merit. This makes the appeals generally more reliable than those directly to WCAD. On the other hand, the taxpayer must prepare strong evidence to impress the board and overcome their opponent.
O’Connor can help you by giving you expert representation and peerless evidence. O’Connor specializes in taking appeals to the formal level and offers some of the highest win rates in the state when it comes to this type of protest. As one of the largest firms in the nation, O’Connor has national resources and local expertise in equal measure.
WCAD Protests by Property Type
As with informal protests, most of these secondary appeals involve businesses. It is rare for businesses to top homes in number in any type of protest, with the exception of judicial appeals. Though there was still a large disparity, homes and businesses were much closer to each other in this stage than in the informal one.
Of the record 3,022 protests with a written determination, 2,148 of them were for businesses. Homes contributed 874. Both of these numbers were records. In years past, these two real estate types were much closer, with 2023 seeing them separated by roughly 150 cases. The main separation came because businesses saw a huge spike in 2024, while homes climbed gradually.
Webb County ARB Decisions with a ReductionSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Thousands | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total | 0.242 | 0.158 | 0.134 | 0.214 | 0.294 | 0.417 | 0.500 | 0.582 | 1.327 | 1.163 | 2.424 | |
| Single Family Residential | 0.087 | 0.076 | 0.047 | 0.124 | 0.202 | 0.177 | 0.226 | 0.275 | 0.397 | 0.584 | 0.650 | |
| Commercial / All Other | 0.155 | 0.082 | 0.087 | 0.090 | 0.092 | 0.240 | 0.274 | 0.307 | 0.930 | 0.579 | 1.774 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since An annual appeal is an insurance policy to avoid major increases.
WCAD County ARB Decisions with a Reduction
While 2023 dominated informal appeals, 2024 took the lead at the secondary stage. A record of 2,424 reductions was achieved formally in 2024. 1,774 of these were from businesses, more than double the 2023 amount. Homes also hit a new high-water mark with 650. In 2023, homes saw more victories in businesses, and the two have traded the lead multiple times in the past decade.
Percent That Resulted in A ReductionSource: Texas Comptroller, compiled by O’Connor, and not affiliated with any appraisal district.
| Percent | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||
| Total Reduction | 53% | 51% | 50% | 63% | 72% | 77% | 68% | 63% | 82% | 70% | 80% | |
| Single Family Residential | 82% | 84% | 89% | 86% | 85% | 87% | 83% | 81% | 93% | 77% | 74% | |
| Commercial / All Other | 44% | 38% | 40% | 47% | 54% | 70% | 59% | 53% | 78% | 64% | 83% | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since To ensure their property taxes are at the lowest possible level.
Percent That Resulted in A Reduction
As the number of wins indicated, a solid percentage of formal protests were successful. 80% of all appeals resulted in a reduction. This was impressive compared to informal hearings, which resulted in an overall win rate of 72.64%. Businesses reached new heights by winning 83% of their cases. Homes were able to win their cases 74% of the time. While this is the lowest formal rate seen in the past decade, it did surpass the informal percentage of 72.08%.
Value Reduction From Written ARB DeterminationsSource: 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 | ||
| Total $ Reduction | 0.034 | 0.028 | 0.021 | 0.029 | 0.041 | 0.053 | 0.080 | 0.108 | 0.254 | 0.400 | 0.841 | |
| Single Family Residential | 0.002 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.002 | 0.004 | 0.005 | 0.006 | 0.007 | 0.011 | 0.015 | 0.018 | |
| Commercial / All Other | 0.033 | 0.026 | 0.020 | 0.027 | 0.037 | 0.047 | 0.074 | 0.101 | 0.243 | 0.384 | 0.823 | |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Unequal appraisal allows protests based on neighbors having a better tax assessment.
Dollar Value Reduction from Webb ARB Hearings
2024 was by far the winner when it came to achieving value reductions for taxpayers. $841 million was slashed from the tax rolls, a significant decrease in taxable value. This was mainly thanks to businesses, which were able to land a total reduction of $823 million, more than double their 2023 counterpart. While in a very distant second place, homes also managed to reach a new high point, scoring a cut of $18 million.