Webster homeowners would pay about $23 more in property taxes for the 2026 tax year under a rate increase all seven City Council members support.

The city published a public hearing notice on Thursday, Oct. 8, proposing a tax rate of $0.38663 per $100 of taxable value. That is a $0.01557 increase over the current rate of $0.37106, a jump of 4.2%.

For the owner of an average-value Webster home, the change means a tax bill of $955.25, up $22.82 from $932.43 in 2025. The average homestead's taxable value actually fell 1.68%, from $251,287 to $247,072, but the higher rate more than offsets that drop.

Across all properties, the city projects collecting $12,756,103 in property taxes, an increase of $777,904 over the 2025 levy of $11,978,199. That is a 6.49% jump in total revenue. The notice does not state what the additional revenue would fund.

All seven council members support the rate

The notice lists every member of the Webster City Council as backing the proposed rate. Mayor Donna Jasso, Mayor Pro Tem Martin Graves Jr., and Councilmembers Jennifer Heidt, Sam Davis, Chris Vaughan, Beverly Gaines and Edward Lapeyre are all recorded in favor. No member is listed as against, absent or not voting.

The proposed rate matches the voter-approval tax rate, the highest the council can adopt without triggering a public election. Because the two figures are equal, no election is required.

The rate does exceed the no-new-revenue rate of $0.35556 per $100. That benchmark is the rate that would generate the same property tax revenue from the same properties as in 2025. Exceeding it means Webster property owners will collectively pay more in 2026 than they did this year, even where individual home values declined.

How to weigh in

A public hearing on the proposed rate is scheduled for Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. at Webster City Hall, 101 Pennsylvania Ave. Residents can also contact council members at their offices before the hearing.

For help calculating individual tax bills, residents may call the Harris County tax assessor at 713-274-8000 or email [email protected].