Harris County Approves $2.6B Budget with 8% Property Tax Hike Amid Disaster Recovery Efforts
Harris County is bracing itself with a bolstered budget and a property tax rate rise. The county's Commissioners Court approved a $2.6 billion general fund budget with a controversial 8% property tax increase, as reported by the Houston Chronicle. Set to begin on Oct. 1, this hike comes as an exemption to the usual 3.5% cap, invoked by the state's law in light of recent disasters. Those owning a $400,000 home will cough up an additional $256 annually, and that's before considering a potential flood control tax uptick awaiting a November vote.
The excess funds are earmarked for storm damage from events such as May's derecho and Hurricane Beryl. This uptick is slated to revert to the prior 3.5% in 2026, as ABC13 revealed. In a statement obtained by ABC13, Budget Director Daniel Ramos explained, "The hike would only be temporary, and property taxes will revert back to the old rate in Fiscal Year 2026."
The court has granted elected officials a 9.2% pay raise—the first since 2016—while constables claimed a heftier 17.5% after airing grievances to a committee. The Houston Chronicle coverage noted increased investment in law enforcement and justice, earmarking $52.9 million to outsource inmates due to the overcrowded downtown jail, touching upon the heartrending case of Jalen Anderson, who died in an outsourced facility.
On the flip side, criminal justice reformers aren't convinced, arguing the budget could better serve housing and health services. During impassioned hearings, residents and organizations like Woori Juntos voiced objections against the law enforcement funding increase, as outlined by ABC13. And in a political twist, outgoing District Attorney Kim Ogg criticized the budget as a "defunding" of her office, claiming, "To staff that, we hired 54 people with the permission of the budget office. So they gave us $5 million with the left hand and took $6 million with the right hand. That kind of math doesn't fool anybody. It's clearly an attack on our ability to fight violent crime," she told ABC13. Regardless, assurances from the budget office signal that no layoffs are needed until at least year's end, with new investments poised to cover the shortfall when the incoming district attorney takes office in January.
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