GARCIA PROPOSES 3RD STRAIGHT PROPERTY TAX RATE DECREASE
Without approval of responsible rate reduction, vital services such as Flood Control, will lose millions
Harris County, TX — TODAY, Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia proposed a responsible reduction of the overall Harris County Property Tax Rate at Commissioners Court. The proposed 2.2% reduction would result in a rate of 0.58585 per $100 of taxable value, down from 0.59920. If adopted, this would be the third straight year of reduced property tax rates in Harris County, after rates previously remaining flat going back to at least 2010.
“A pandemic is no time to place an increased property tax burden on homeowners. For three straight years, Harris County has been able to improve vital services for our residents and invest in law enforcement and infrastructure, while coming in under budget. Thanks to our hard work and fiscal responsibility, I am proud to propose a responsible property tax rate cut for the third straight year to help our residents,” said Commissioner Adrian Garcia. “I hope my colleagues show up and join me in supporting this smart proposal. Hurricane Nicholas is yet another reminder that we must keep our focus, invest in roads, neighborhood drainage maintenance, flood mitigation and plan for future growth.”
Garcia’s proposed tax rate reduction would need to be officially adopted at a future Court meeting, provided a quorum is reached. Without a quorum, the county would be forced to adopt a “no new revenue” rate, keeping the County’s budget flat in the next fiscal year. This loss of potential tax revenue would most drastically impact the Harris County Flood Control District, which could expect a shortfall of approximately $10.5 million (just under 10% of HCFCD’s budget), according to Budget Management. In addition to cuts to projects and staff, many planned infrastructure improvements would be postponed or canceled due to lack of funding. Of note, when no quorum was reached in 2019, thus forcing a “no new revenue rate” to be adopted, HCFCD experienced the biggest reduction in funding year-over-year (see graph below).
For reference, these are recent historical Harris County overall total tax rates:
2010: 0.62998
2016: 0.62998
2011: 0.62998
2017: 0.62998
2012: 0.62998
2018: 0.62998
2013: 0.62998
2019: 0.61170
2014: 0.62998
2020: 0.59920
2015: 0.62998
2021 (Proposed): .58585
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