Homeowners in Webster, Nassau Bay and other Clear Lake-area communities inside Harris County could pay roughly $97 more per year in property taxes under a budget proposal commissioners debated Tuesday, Aug. 18, at a public hearing that drew residents on both sides of the issue.

The county is trying to close a roughly $178 million shortfall in its proposed $3.1 billion fiscal year 2027 general fund budget. The overall property tax rate would rise from about 62 cents to 68 cents per $100 of appraised value, according to KPRC2 and The Texan. At that rate, the average residential homestead would owe about $1,350 in county taxes, up from $1,202 the prior year.

As we reported Aug. 7, the county had been projecting a $130 million gap. That figure has since grown to between $178 million and $181 million, depending on the source.

Commissioners are split on the cause.

Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones blamed federal and state policy changes, citing a 20 percent cut to SNAP benefits affecting more than 130,000 Harris County families and Affordable Care Act changes she said will leave more than 200,000 county residents uninsured.

"We are here leading Harris County and we together are having to live and wrestle with the consequences of President Trump and Governor Abbott's policies," Briones said at the hearing.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo pointed instead to pay raises commissioners approved for constables and other elected officials. Hidalgo said commissioners committed around $300 million in cumulative pay increases, including a $305,000 raise for constables, without putting the matter to a vote. That figure represents total committed spending decisions, not a component of the $178 million gap alone.

Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey defended the law enforcement pay increases as the right call and said they are not the sole driver of higher costs. Ramsey called the proposal the second-largest tax increase in county history and noted the county's annual budget has grown by about $1 billion since 2019.

Other cost drivers include a $73 million jump in employee health benefits, a pay equity study affecting many county workers, a 2025 state constitutional amendment that removed $8 billion in business personal property from the tax rolls, and state bail-policy mandates adding $1.2 million in costs.

Residents who testified were divided. One speaker said they came "on behalf of fixed-income and working-class families against the tax increase." Another asked commissioners to fully fund an office of community safety.

No final decision was reached Tuesday. The county's rainy day fund holds about $320 million, which some commissioners have floated as an alternative to raising rates.

According to The Texan and reduceflooding.com, Commissioners Court will next take up the budget on Tuesday, Sept. 8, when members are scheduled to formally propose tax rates and consider amendments. A public hearing and final adoption vote is set for Thursday, Sept. 17. Residents can contact Harris County Commissioners Court at 713-274-1111 or visit harriscountytx.gov to submit comments before those dates.