The three Harris County commissioners who voted for the county’s new tax rate on Thursday, September 17, defended the increase publicly after the vote, attributing roughly $250 million in costs to decisions made in Austin and Washington.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones spoke at Commissioners Court. KPRC 2 reports that Garcia described about $250 million in costs shifted onto local taxpayers, and that Briones pointed to roughly $180 million in uncompensated care absorbed by Harris Health, which she tied to the state’s decision not to expand Medicaid. The three named unfunded state mandates and federal health care reductions as the drivers.
The commissioners said the revenue supports public health programs, flood mitigation projects, roads, courts and infrastructure. Flood mitigation is the line item with the most direct bearing on the Lake Houston area, where drainage and detention work is funded through the county.
The court adopted a combined rate of 67 cents per $100 of taxable value on a 3 to 1 vote, with Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey opposed and County Judge Lina Hidalgo abstaining. KPRC 2 puts the increase at approximately 7.9 percent and the effect on an average homeowner at about $193 a year. Lake Houston Today’s report on the vote itself notes that outlets gave differing accounts of the tally.
