In a 3-2 vote, Harris County commissioners have approved an increase to the county’s property tax rate.
Commissioners argued the hike was necessary to support rising healthcare costs, citing the $1 billion in Medicaid cuts made by the Trump administration as a driving factor.
The increase—from 60 cents to 62 cents per $100 in valuation, around 3.25 percent—was low enough to be applied without voter approval, as it did not rise above the state-imposed revenue cap for Texas counties.
Commissioners Adrian Garcia and Tom Ramsey cast the two votes against the proposal.
Harris Health CEO Dr. Esmaeil Porsa noted, “If Harris Health were ever put in a position where we were not able to provide the services the way we do today — obviously, patients are not going to disappear. People are not going to stop getting sick.”
The tax rate is also being driven by a 550 percent increase in funds used to cover debt tied to facility and service operations. That increase came as a result of a bond passed in November 2023, which is funding upgrades at Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital—including a new level-1 trauma center—and renovations at Ben Taub Hospital.
Meanwhile, Harris County is facing a confusing budget picture.
County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Tuesday cited a projected $133 million budget deficit.
Commissioner Lesley Briones, however, claimed that the deficit would be completely eliminated.
Briones has proposed a revised budget plan she says will erase the shortfall through cuts and cost-saving measures, including renegotiated law enforcement raises and a one-year hiring freeze.
Hidalgo responded that, since these are only potential and proposed cuts, the claim that the deficit has hit zero is purely theoretical. The Harris County Budget Office has yet to provide finalized numbers.
The budget must be approved by September 18, when it should become clear where the deficit stands.
