Harris County warns of property tax hikes amid budget deficit

Tom S. Ramsey warned Harris County homeowners could face a sharp property-tax increase as Commissioners Court works through a deficit and salary pressures in the county’s FY2026 budget. He said the rate could rise from 62 cents to 71 cents per $100 of valuation, a change that would add about $225 a year to a $250,000 home before exemptions.

That kind of jump would land hardest on homeowners with rising appraisals, but it would also ripple through renters and small businesses if landlords and commercial property owners pass along higher carrying costs. County budget talks have centered on a $130 million deficit, and officials have also been discussing salary adjustments as they search for ways to close the gap without pushing taxes higher.

The adopted FY2026 budget covers October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026 and lists County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Commissioners Rodney Ellis, Adrian Garcia, Tom S. Ramsey, P.E. and Lesley Briones on Commissioners Court. Budget staff named in the document include interim County Administrator Jesse Dickerman and Budget Director Daniel Ramos, the people who will be closest to the numbers if the county decides to shift spending or raise revenue.

County budgeting materials say the Office of Management and Budget exists to safeguard Harris County’s fiscal health, and the county is already planning for FY2027. That makes the current debate more than a one-year patch: the court has to decide whether to accept a larger property-tax bill, trim spending, or find enough savings in salaries and operations to avoid another increase.

The pressure is not new. FY2024 budget documents showed Harris County collecting $37,778,611 more from property taxes than the previous year, a 1.5% increase, and the county also passed an 8% tax increase for the 2024 tax year. More recently, county finances have been described as facing a $270 million deficit in 2025 and a $48 million shortfall heading into FY2026.

One budget proposal under discussion would wipe out a proposed 6.3-cent property-tax increase by cutting spending and making strategic investments. For Harris County, the choice now sits with Commissioners Court, where Hidalgo, Ellis, Garcia, Ramsey and Briones will have to decide which costs taxpayers will bear and which ones the county will absorb.