The average homeowner’s Harris County tax bill has risen significantly since Democrats won a majority on Commissioners Court in 2019, and has outpaced near-record levels of inflation over the past seven years, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of county budget data.

What the average homeowner pays in property taxes to support county government has increased roughly 60% since 2019, according to the data. After adjusting for inflation, bills have risen 23% during that period. In addition to rising costs, county officials say they face unique challenges in providing services to residents across the sprawling unincorporated area that is home to roughly half the county’s population, and which county government is primarily responsible for serving.

“You have to pay the bill at the federal level, the state level, or the local level,” said Nancy Sims, a political science lecturer at the University of Houston. “Nothing is getting cheaper for the government or anybody else.”

Under Republican leadership, the county tax rate remained largely unchanged, though rising home values meant Commissioners Court collected more revenue without increasing the tax rate.

The 2018 Blue Wave saw Democrats swept into office throughout county government. The new Commissioners Court majority proposed tax hikes in 2019 and in 2022, but the two Republicans on the court blocked both proposals by breaking quorum. The court also trimmed the tax rate in 2023, the fourth straight reduction in the county tax rate.

Through 2023, the average homeowner’s county tax bill remained below its 2019 amount when adjusted for inflation, county data shows.

Then, that November, Democrats won a supermajority on the court after redistricting the commissioner precincts, resulting in Republican Commissioner Jack Cagle losing his seat to Commissioner Lesley Briones, a Democrat.

The majority of the increase in the average resident’s county tax bill has come over the past three years, as commissioners have increased the tax rate three straight times.

Texas law limits the annual revenue local governments can collect in property taxes each year to 3.5% over the previous year, but, using an exception intended to help areas recover from natural disasters, Commissioners Court approved a tax hike that let the county collect 10% more in property taxes in 2024 from the year prior.

Voters in November 2024 also agreed to raise the tax rate for the Harris County Flood Control District, pushing the rate higher. And a rate increase for Harris Health, the county’s public hospital system, last fall drove the average homeowner’s county tax bill to nearly $2,000.

Commissioners set tax rates for the county itself – a majority of the combined rate – Harris Health, the Port of Houston and the flood control district.

The rate commissioners approved  last month is the highest in modern history, and pushed the average homeowner’s bill to $2,161 – comparable to the annual bill assessed by Houston ISD.

HISD and other school districts have far higher tax rates than the county, but also far more generous tax exemptions for homeowners thanks to recent tax cuts passed by the Legislature.

The county tax hike this year sparked outcry from residents and state and local officials. Republican candidates and officials have begun distributing campaign material framing the hike as a consequence of the court’s Democratic leadership.

But the criticism isn’t entirely partisan. Both Letitia Plummer, the Democratic nominee for Harris County judge, and Orlando Sanchez, her Republican opponent, have denounced the tax increase. Plummer has promised to freeze property taxes and Sanchez has pledged to reduce them.

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City-level services, without the funding

But the three Democrats who voted to pass the property tax increase – Commissioners Lesley Briones, Adrian Garcia and Rodney Ellis – said the increase was necessary to maintain services related to infrastructure and criminal justice.

Harris County budget director Daniel Ramos added that the county has seen an explosion in costs related to healthcare, technology, law enforcement and vehicle maintenance that have contributed to the county’s persistent budget deficits and rising tax rate.

Rising healthcare costs isn’t a problem limited to Harris County. San Antonio is $40 million over its healthcare budget, and Dallas City Council voted in August to cut benefits amid rising drug prices.

But the state’s largest county faces unique challenges, particularly in law enforcement. More than two million residents are spread across 980 square miles of unincorporated land in Harris County, where there are no cities – or city police departments – to respond to calls.

Unlike counties, Ramos noted, cities also receive a portion of the sales tax revenue generated within their boundaries, lessening their reliance on property taxes.

“We’re providing an urban city level of service without the corresponding sales tax that would come with running a city,” Ramos said.

Commissioners Court also has made policing more expensive, approving a controversial five-year pay package of raises for law enforcement last year of roughly 50% over five years. The move is expected to add $292 million in annual expenses by 2030.

The raises also increased the cost of the county’s popular contract patrol program, which lets communities pay for additional patrols by the sheriff’s office or constables.

Deputies’ salaries rose 24% from fiscal year 2025 to 2026 but commissioners did not pass the full increase on to neighborhoods with contracts. Instead, county taxpayers – including in neighborhoods that cannot afford extra patrols – are to subsidize the program for five years as contract patrol rates gradually rise, which some experts say may be illegal.

The county’s total share of the contract patrol program was $76 million last budget year, 40% of its cost.

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The county also must provide attorneys for defendants unable to afford their own counsel, a constitutional right, and that cost has risen significantly in recent years.

Expenses related to law enforcement and the county court system, including justices of the peace, indigent defense and probate courts, account for more than 62% of the county general fund’s $3.1 billion budget, budget documents show.

A new normal

This year’s combined property tax rate – 67 cents per $100 in assessed value – helped bridge a projected $188 million deficit for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. It marked the fifth straight budget gap.

But Ramos said commissioners have invested in programs and departments they hope will eventually drive costs down, particularly those related to indigent defense and jail outsourcing.

While those investments have yet to make a significant dent in the budget, Ramos said he thinks the next few years will see the county stabilize.

“I’m still really bullish on Harris County,” Ramos said. “I feel confident in the next couple years we’re really going to get to a new and better normal when it comes to indigent defense and jail outsourcing, which will drive a dramatic improvement in our overall fiscal situation.”