Harris County Commissioners approved a roughly $3.1 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, alongside a property tax increase that divided the court over whether the higher taxes were necessary. This year’s budget is a $300 million increase from last year.
The county had entered the budget process with a substantial deficit of $180 million. Diego Ramos, the budget director, noted the various challenges the budget faced.
“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,” Ramos wrote in the budget proposal.
He added that despite the deficit, there will be no recommended layoffs or reduction in force “despite the second straight year of nine-figure deficits,” while maintaining priority services at their existing levels.
Erica Lee Carter, county administrator and county budget officer, also said that the budget had to undergo major stress tests.
“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,” Lee Carter wrote in the budget proposal.
What is the new rate?
The commissioners approved multiple tax rates, one for the county, the Port Authority of Houston, Harris Health, Harris County Flood Control and the county.
For the county itself, the commissioners adopted a rate of 41.75 cents per $100 of taxable value, which is roughly an 8% increase in the tax rate, comprising 36 cents for maintenance and operations, and 5.3 cents for debt service.
The separate levies include:
- Port of Houston Authority: $0.00603 per $100 of value (1.8% increase)
- Harris Health System: $0.19528 per $100 of value (4.47% increase)
- Harris County Flood Control District: $0.05266 per $100 of value (6.2% increase)
What county commissioners said
Commissioner Lesley Briones said that for the owner of a $400,000 home, the increase in taxes amounts to $193.
“I know it’s hard on all of us…but these are investments in critical services that we cannot turn our back on,” Briones said. “Harris County is here for the people, and this budget reflects the non-negotiables that we have heard loud and clear from the people.”
Commissioner Adrian Garcia said his vote is not a “pleasant one” and that it was one of the hardest decisions in his political career.
“The operations that serve our uh constituents…health clinics, libraries, pollution control, courts, the district attorney’s office, the county attorney’s office, those operations are critical to helping this county stay moving in the right direction,” Garcia said. “This is one of the most regretful and painful votes that I will take, but the alternative is devastation to essential county services.”
Commissioner Tom Ramsey, who is the lone Republican on the court, opposed the tax rate increase. He argued that the commissioners could have found other means of saving money. He pointed to the state’s “homestead cap”, which limits how much a property’s taxable value can increase every year. It caps the annual increase in assessed value at 10% for residential homesteads, or more broadly, up to 20% for properties under $5 million.
“Would we raise it more than $325 million if the cap was uh not where it is now?” Ramsey asked the Court. “I would contend it looks to me like the budget was based on what’s the maximum tax rate that we can take without going to the voters…You could find a way to reduce this increased tax.”
He raised concerns about the rising costs of living due to the burden of paying higher property taxes.
“Our number one issue, it seems like over the last six months, has been affordability,” Ramsey added. “This certainly is going to have a tremendous impact on the residents of Harris County on their ability to afford their homes.”
County Judge Lina Hidalgo also opposed the direction of the budget but did not cast a vote on the county tax rate. Instead, she left the chamber immediately before the vote, saying the move was symbolic because the remaining four members still constituted a quorum.
“My stepping out doesn’t make a difference,” Hidalgo said. “But I will symbolically step out for the vote…I’m really grateful to the taxpayers for understanding that this budget and tax rate do not substitute for a sustainable fiscal plan. It is wasteful spending.”
Hidalgo argued that raising the rate did not solve what she described as the county’s underlying structural deficit.
Some said cuts would threaten services
This budget is not perfect. We were forced to make hard choices with limited resources, and we can’t meet every need. But we made investments to protect our communities, save money downstream, keep people safe, and defend the local services residents need more than ever. Despite the challenges we face, Harris County has a responsibility to the people we serve.
— Rodney Ellis (@RodneyEllis) September 17, 2026
Garcia said he was reluctant to raise taxes and pointed to an unsuccessful motion he made during the previous budget meeting to return about $15 million in unallocated money to taxpayers.
“This vote is not a pleasant one for me,” Garcia said. He said the $15 million was relatively small compared with the overall budget but argued it would have demonstrated “that we don’t have to grab everything that’s available just because we can.”
At the same time, Garcia said county health clinics, libraries, pollution control, courts and prosecutors provide services that could not simply be eliminated to balance the budget.
“This is one of the most painful and difficult votes that I have made in my elected career as a member of a legislative body,” Garcia said. “I take no pleasure in it.”
In Harris County, we are prioritizing the basics: public safety, infrastructure, disaster readiness, and public health. https://t.co/SznchFPNm6
— Commissioner Lesley Briones (@HCP4__Briones) September 18, 2026
Briones made a similar argument, saying the county needed to continue funding health care, infrastructure, flood protection, and public safety despite financial pressures from the state and federal governments.
“The federal government and the state government may turn their backs and massively impact the people of this community, but we are stepping up,” Briones said.
Health care is a major cost pressure
Employee health care emerged as one of the most significant budget pressures.
During the meeting, county officials said the county’s employer cost had increased by $89 million in a single year, which Briones said is “not sustainable”.
“We remain deeply committed to our employees’ health benefits. Period. Full stop,” Briones said, noting that roughly 46,000 employees, along with dependents and retirees, are covered by the plan.
