Aging infrastructure and deferred maintenance projects are among the most pressing concerns facing Harris County, according to officials from the Harris County Flood Control District.
Nearly 40% of flood control infrastructure in the county has less than 10 years left on its overall lifeline, with at least 35% of projects needing serious repairs in the next 20 years, officials said. At the upcoming Nov. 5 election, Harris County voters will choose whether to fund the HCFCD’s proposed tax rate increase of $0.04897 per $100 of valuation, which will be listed on the election ballot as Proposition A.
Major takeaways
The price tag associated with the proposed tax rate is just one facet of rising property taxes facing Harris County homeowners, said Mark Jones, political science professor at Rice University. For economically stressed homeowners, Jones said the flood control tax vote provides them with the ability to at least modestly limit the increase in their overall property tax bill.
Jones said homeowners are also looking at substantial tax increases if they live in Houston—the first tax hike in nearly 20 years. Houston Finance Director Melissa Dubowski said in September the city would need to raise its property tax rate by at least 3.2 cents per $100 valuation to cover the costs associated with two recent natural disasters: Hurricane Beryl and a May derecho storm. Houston has until Oct. 28 to adopt the new tax rate.
If voters approve the flood control district’s measure, for example, average Harris County homeowners with a $379,030 home and a homestead exemption would see a $60 increase per year in annual taxes, according to the county’s Office of Management and Budget.
“While residents cannot do anything to stop the above-average increase being levied on them by Harris County, one place where they can send a signal that they feel their property taxes are increasing too much is by a no-vote for the flood control district proposition,” Jones said.
On the other hand
With the county’s continued population growth, the number of assets the flood control district has to oversee and maintain also grew. At least $1 billion in project maintenance costs have already been deferred, HCFCD Executive Director Tina Petersen said. While local tax incentives have supported various flood control projects, she said necessary maintenance funding has remained flat.
“This is a problem decades in the making. [The HCFCD] is 87 years old. Many large investments have been made in the organization’s history, but quite a number of them were in the ’50s and ’60s,” Petersen said.
If the tax rate increase passes, an additional $113 million would go directly into a dedicated maintenance fund supporting critical maintenance projects, staffing needs and new resident-focused communication initiatives. As Harris County commissioners approved the countywide fiscal year 2024-25 budget on Sept. 19, at least $10 million dedicated to maintenance assistance will come from the approved budget, flood control officials said.
Going forward
The Harris County Flood Control District has 36 major maintenance projects on tap across the county’s four precincts. Estimated costs have not been calculated for 20 of those projects, and the remaining 16 will cost a projected $20.8 million.
Precinct 1
Total projects: 10
Estimated cost: $6.8M (costs TBD for four projects)
Precinct 2
Total projects: 11
Estimated cost: $1.9M (costs TBD for eight projects)
Precinct 3
Total projects: Eight
Estimated cost: $6.8M (costs TBD for three projects)
Precinct 4
Total projects: Eight
Estimated cost: $5.3M (costs TBD for five projects)