Spring-area homeowners will pay about $14.50 more per year in property taxes. The Harris County Emergency Services District No. 9 (ESD 9) board adopted a higher rate during a special meeting Thursday, Sept. 24.

The board set the rate at $0.045 per $100 of valuation, as first reported by Community Impact Newspaper. The rate replaces the prior year's $0.038831 and is the district's second increase in a decade, the last in 2019.

For a median-valued homestead of $252,480, the annual ESD 9 tax bill rises from $99.12 to $113.62, according to the district's taxpayer impact statement.

The budget vote was not unanimous. Commissioners approved the fiscal year 2026-27 budget 3-1, with Commissioner Jaime Martinez opposed and Commissioner Rob Paiva abstaining. Paiva said the budget carries a projected $3.89 million shortfall even at the higher rate.

Paiva said raising the rate will not fix the shortfall and he does not want to place that burden on taxpayers. He said even the highest rate the board could adopt without triggering a tax rate election would not close the gap.

Commissioner Cameron Dickey said the increase reflects the cost of the department's growth plans.

"As we look for the future of the fire district, there is no organization I know that can both grow and keep expenses at the same level," Dickey said. "In order to add staff … you have to be able to add expenses."

ESD 9 funds the Cy-Fair Fire Department (CFFD), which is adding 49 full-time employees to staff two new fire stations. Those hires are a major driver of the shortfall. At the no-new-revenue rate of $0.038548, the budget gap would have been $8.1 million. The higher rate brings in roughly $3.9 million in additional revenue, narrowing the deficit to $3.89 million that the district plans to cover with reserves.

A 2023 Citygate audit recommended eight new fire stations to keep pace with growth. Commissioner Bevin Gordon said many of the audit's findings reinforced needs the CFFD command staff had identified years earlier. Demographers project the CFFD service area will add 109,800 residents by 2035, a 21% increase concentrated along the Grand Parkway and western portions of the district.

Four candidates are on the Nov. 3 ballot for three open ESD 9 board seats: incumbents Naressa MacKinnon and Cameron Dickey, and challengers Daniel Arizpe and Deborah Shepler.

The ESD 9 board meets next on Oct. 29 at 6:30 p.m. at 10710 Telge Road, Houston.