Harris County school board holds first public hearing on proposed 18.5‑mill tax rate

Garnet Ray, chair of the Harris County Board of Education, opened a public hearing Aug. 7 on the district’s tentative millage rate and said the board has “tentatively adopted a millage rate of 18.5 mills,” an increase the district calculates as a 15.44% rise over the rollback rate of 16.025 mills.

The increase, Superintendent Dr. Finney told the audience, is intended to cover rising mandatory costs and locally driven needs including employer health benefits and teacher retirement contributions, new state curriculum materials, multilayered safety protocols and continued transportation and operational expenses. “We’re already incurring these costs,” Finney said, listing a roughly $1 million increase for state health benefits and a comparable rise in teacher retirement contributions that took effect July 1.

Why it matters: A millage change affects homeowners directly. Finney provided an example: on a $400,000 fair market value home, the district estimates the proposed increase would add about $320 in annual property tax; he said non‑homestead property at $250,000 would see roughly a $200 increase. He also noted that roughly 57% of the district’s tax digest…