Sixty-seven percent of local cities and counties in the Houston area are bringing in more property tax revenue this year, ABC13 reports, and a number of them did it without changing their tax rate.
The mechanism is appraisal growth. Rice University economist John Diamond told the station that a bill is the rate multiplied by the value of the property, so a flat rate applied to a higher appraisal still produces a larger payment. The report names Harris County, the Port of Houston, the flood control district, the hospital district, Fort Bend County and Fort Bend ISD among the entities taking in more. Harris County’s rate rose from $0.6241 to $0.6715 per $100 of appraised value, which ABC13 puts at about $190 a year for the average homeowner.
On the average homeowner figure, KPRC 2 reported about $193 in one article this week and about $190 in another. ABC13 gives about $190. This desk has attributed the number rather than presenting it as settled, and continues to.
Lake Houston area residents pay several of these rates at once. The county rate, the flood control district, the Port of Houston and the hospital district are all countywide lines, and school district, city and municipal utility district rates sit alongside them on the same bill. Our coverage of the county rate is here.
