Bell Appraisal Review Board # of Staff and Pay
Bell County Tax Appraisal District sets estimated values and the Bell County Appraisal Review Board hears protests not resolved informally, a total of 2,646 ARB hearings in 2021. The Bell County ARB is paid by the appraisal district; per diems fees paid to ARB members in 2021 totaled $175. (Could you be impartial and independent if one of the parties to a dispute was paying your salary and setting work rules?) The median ARB per diem fees are $175 per day with a high of $175 per day. The Bell ARB granted some reduction in value in 1,767 cases or 67% of the hearings they conducted in 2021.
Total Number of ARB Members - Bell 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 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 12 |
| New ARB Members | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
| Returning ARB Members | 4 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 9 |
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.
Bell County Appraisal Review Board (ARB)
Bell County’s ARB plays a critical role in reviewing and correcting the tax roll initially generated by Tax Appraisal District Of Bell County. Every county in Texas has an appraisal review board. (Note: the exception is Potter and Randall counties which share one appraisal district and appraisal review board.)
The appraisal review board members are supposed to be “separate and apart” from the appraisal district. They swear an oath to be impartial. Their ability to impartially hear and judge property tax disputes solves the second highest number of tax protests, second only to informal hearings.
Bell County ARB Members
The number of Bell County Appraisal Review Board members by year, and the portion of new and returning members are illustrated in the graph.
The Bell County Appraisal Review Board had 5 members in 2014 and 8 members in 2021. There were 1 new ARB members in 2021 and 88% of the 2021 members were returning from the prior year. The Bell County Appraisal Review Board is designated to be inpartial and independent in disputes between property owners and the Bell County Tax Appraisal District.
How Many Days did ARB Hold Hearings in Bell 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 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 32 | 39 | 34 | 48 | 61 | 39 |
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.
How Many Days did Bell County ARB Hold Hearings?
Bell County Appraisal Review Board conducted ARB hearings 16 days in 2014 and 34 days in 2021. Bell County Tax Appraisal District paid the Bell County ARB members $175 in per diem fees in 2021. Is it a conflict for Bell CAD to pay the ARB?
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 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 |
| Median per diem to ARB | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 |
| Highest per diem to ARB | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 | $175 |
Texas property owners should protest annually since Texas property taxes are the largest tax payment for many Texans.
ARB Compensation
Bell County Tax Appraisal District paid members of the Bell County Appraisal Review Board $175 per diem fees in 2021. (Could you be impartial and independent if the appraisal district was paying your salary to hear property owner protests?) The Bell CAD budget for the Bell County ARB was $12,000 in 2014. The lowest per diem for a Bell County ARB member was $175 in 2014 and $175 in 2021. The median per diem for a Bell ARB member was $175 in 2014 and $175 in 2021. The highest per diem for a Bell County ARB member was $175 in 2014 and $175 in 2021.