Harris County commissioners approved a roughly 8% property tax increase on Thursday, Sept. 17. For a Spring homeowner with a $400,000 home, the hike adds about $193 a year.

KHOU reported the increase is one of the largest in county history. The vote passed 3-1, with Commissioners Rodney Ellis, Adrian Garcia and Lesley Briones voting in favor. Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey, who represents the Spring area, cast the lone no vote.

County Judge Lina Hidalgo stepped away from the dais before the vote in protest. "This budget does not reduce the structural deficit," Hidalgo said before walking out.

The new general fund rate rises to $0.41750 per $100 of taxable value, up from $0.38096, according to Fox 26. That is a 9.6% jump in the general fund rate alone. When all four county-controlled tax rates are combined, the overall increase is approximately 7.6%, according to the Harris County Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The combined rate climbed from $0.62413 to just above $0.67 per $100 of appraised value.

The increase addresses an estimated $181 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2027. County Budget Director Daniel Ramos cited law enforcement pay raises entering their second year, rising county healthcare costs and unfunded state mandates as the main drivers, according to KTRH.

Ramsey had pushed to hold the general fund rate flat at $0.38096. County officials said that option would have required roughly $243 million in cuts. Ramsey argued the cuts were possible, pointing to administrative positions that could be eliminated.

"To even consider it going up is fairly outrageous," Ramsey told KTRH on Sept. 16, the day before the vote.

Ramsey also challenged the Harris Health rate increase separately, noting the hospital district has $2 billion in reserves. "I don't think we need to increase the tax rate" for that district, he said at the Sept. 17 meeting, according to journalist Holly Hansen, who live-tweeted the proceedings.

At the Aug. 7 Commissioners Court meeting, Ramsey warned the rate under consideration was "probably the greatest tax-rate increase in the history of Harris County," as reported by Houston Public Media.

The rate matches the maximum voter-approval rate under Texas law, meaning no election is required. Jose Lopez, president of the Harris County Deputies Organization, testified in favor of the increase. He said law enforcement pay raises had stemmed a "mass exodus of experienced deputies."

Commissioner Briones motioned during the meeting to explore requiring county employees earning more than $100,000 a year to contribute toward health insurance premiums. County employees pay $0 in premiums now, with taxpayers covering the full cost.

Tax rates for the Harris County Flood Control District and the Port of Houston Authority passed unanimously at the same meeting. The Harris Health rate rose from $0.18761 to $0.19528 per $100, a 4.09% increase. Actual tax bill impacts for individual homeowners will vary based on taxable value and exemptions.

The full fiscal year 2027 budget had not yet been voted on as of the Sept. 17 meeting.