Harris County's proposed tax rate is set exactly at the line that avoids a public vote

Harris County commissioners meet Tuesday to set a property tax rate of $0.41934 per $100 of value. That is the highest rate the county can adopt without sending the question to voters, and it is the exact rate staff proposed.

Why it matters

The rate, not the budget total, is what lands on a tax bill. On the county’s own sample home the county portion goes from $1,202 to $1,350, an increase of $148 a year.

That is only part of what the county collects. Flood Control, the Port of Houston and Public Health carry separate budgets and separate rates, and they are not inside the $3.1 billion figure being debated this week.

By the numbers

$0.41934 proposed county rate per $100 of value
$0.38096 rate adopted last year, about 10.1 percent lower
$0.38667 no-new-revenue rate, the rate that would raise about the same money as last year
$0.41934 voter-approval rate, identical to the proposed rate
$1,202 to $1,350 county portion on a home appraised at $402,489, up $148
$3.1 billion proposed 2027 budget, $327 million above this year
$287 million of that increase goes to maintaining services that already exist
$181,411 salary recommended for the county treasurer, a 30 percent raise, before the same court

The four rate figures come from one source, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, reporting from county budget material. We could not second source them before publication. The budget, bill and calendar figures are confirmed in at least two places.

What the coverage buried

Three different percentages are in circulation and they measure three different things. Houston Public Media headlined 7.6 percent. The rate itself rises 10.1 percent. FOX 26 reported 12.3 percent, which is the change in the county’s sample bill. No story we read said which figure measured what.

The larger gap is the voter-approval rate. FOX 26 quoted Paul Bettencourt, Tom Ramsey, Adrian Garcia and Lesley Briones and reported the 12.3 percent figure. The Community Impact preview listed the meeting dates and a $181 million shortfall. Neither reported the proposed rate, the no-new-revenue rate or the voter-approval rate. Those three numbers decide whether residents get a vote, and the proposed rate sits exactly on the line.

One figure does not reconcile. A rate rising 10.1 percent should move the bill on the same house by 10.1 percent. The county’s sample bill moves 12.3 percent. We could not account for the 2.2 point difference from published material.

The other side

The county’s case is real and it deserves stating plainly. About 88 percent of the increase, by the county’s own accounting, keeps existing services running. Commissioner Rodney Ellis said the gap “was partly created because the state forced us into a structural deficit.” Law enforcement pay parity with the City of Houston is inside that number, and deputies who fall behind HPD pay tend to leave for HPD.

The answer is that a description is not a plan. Commissioner Tom Ramsey said he believes “we could pass a flat tax rate this year, if we focus funding statutory responsibilities.” Whether or not he is right on the arithmetic, nobody on the court has yet said which services stop, which costs come down, or that the rate will rise every year from here.

What to watch

Tuesday, September 8, 9 a.m., special meeting at 1001 Preston, first floor. It is posted on the county’s own calendar as a special meeting.
September 17, regular court, the expected final adoption before the fiscal year starts October 1.
Whether the adopted rate comes in at $0.41934 or below it.
The treasurer item. The Salary Grievance Committee recommended raising Carla Wyatt’s pay from $139,547 to about $181,411 on August 20, while commissioners pursue eliminating the office, which would take the Legislature and then a public vote. Commissioners are not required to act on the recommendation.
The Flood Control, Port and Public Health budgets, which are set separately.

Bottom line

Harris County is not hiding the increase. It is proposing the largest rate it can adopt without asking anyone, and the number that shows you that is the one least reported. Read the rate, not the percentage.

Sources

Editorial