Harris County commissioners discuss proposed budget, property tax increase
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - Harris County commissioners are set to discuss the county’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget and a possible property tax increase Tuesday morning.
The proposed county budget is about $3.1 billion and comes as Harris County faces a projected $181 million budget deficit.
County officials said healthcare spending, reduced federal funding, and overspending are a few of the reasons for the budget deficit.
"In July 2026, the updated healthcare costs estimates increased from the original CLS/S estimate by an additional $51M and jail outsourcing savings decreased by $1M which increased the deficit from $129M to $181M," the Fiscal Year 2027 Proposed Budget states.
Watch Harris County Commissioner's Court stream below.
Budget proposal for Harris County FY27
Proposed property tax increase:
The tax rate remains one of the biggest unanswered questions.
One option before commissioners would increase the county property tax bill for a median-valued homestead by about $86. Under the proposed tax rate, that bill would increase from about $891 to $977.
The county also provided an estimate using the no-new-revenue tax rate. Under that option, the tax bill for a median-valued homestead would increase by about $14, from $891 to $905.
What they're saying:
"This budget has been developed in the face of significant financial constraints relating to challenging economic conditions, increasing cost pressures, State-imposed unfunded mandates, reduced federal funding, and a growing population to serve," wrote County Administrator Erica Lee Carter in a letter to the county judge and commissioners.
"This year’s budget presented a unique set of challenges: the second year of law enforcement pay parity, the County’s pay equity study’s first full year of implementation, as well as historic increases in the County’s healthcare spending, in addition to compounding unfunded legislative mandates, and a difficult economic environment," wrote Budget Director Daniel Ramos.
In August, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo pointed to the state's property tax cap, overspending, and unfunded mandates as a few of the reasons for the budget deficit.
"Over the past 3.5 years, the Harris County Commissioners Court has, rather frequently, approved new expenses without an identified funding source," Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo wrote in an August Substack post.
Last month, Commissioner Tom Ramsey said county leaders should take a harder look at how money has previously been spent.
"Now Harris County is considering the second-largest tax rate increase in its history—while failing to first examine the savings and efficiencies that could be achieved with the money taxpayers are already sending to the county," Commissioner Ramsey wrote in a Facebook post in August. "Before asking for even more, shouldn’t we find every possible way to save the money we already have?
What's next:
Harris County Commissioners Court will set the county's property tax rate and adopt a budget for fiscal year 2027 on Sept. 17.
The 2027 fiscal year begins Oct. 1 and runs through Sept. 30, 2027.
The Source: Information gathered from Harris County Commissioners Court agendas, special meeting notices, and the proposed budget. Also, we gathered statements from commissioners.