Tax office highlights wait‑time drops, readies prepayment plan and flags SB 850 refund workload

Tax Assessor‑Collector Ramirez told Commissioners Court during the county’s FY2026 budget hearings that her office has reduced customer wait times, is launching a new online account and prepayment option for property taxpayers, and is preparing for a surge in refund deadlines under recently passed state law.

Ramirez said the tax office has reduced its reliance on temporary staff, converted some temporary positions to permanent, updated branch technology and queuing systems, and added a mobile check‑in option. She said average wait times in property tax branches decreased from about 105 minutes in March to roughly 40 minutes in August after staffing and operational changes.

The nut graph: The office is asking the court to continue support for staffing and technology investments so it can maintain improvements and implement new services. It also warned that Senate Bill 850 changes how refund deadlines are calculated, creating many more individual deadlines for tax refunds that could increase the county’s interest exposure unless the office secures additional resources.

Ramirez described a slate of new services under the “My Harris County Tax” platform, including online account management, payment plans for delinquent accounts and (starting next year) a monthly prepayment plan allowing taxpayers to spread property tax liability across the year. The office reported increased customer demand: nearly 4,000 more branch visitors seeking property‑tax assistance from Feb. 1 to July 31 (year over year) and a 721 percent increase in requests for payment plans on already‑delinquent accounts.

On revenue work, Ramirez said the office has undertaken a systematic review of fee agreements, unclaimed funds and contracts. She reported roughly $700,000 in potential revenue offsets identified specifically for the tax office and said the office passed information to OMB for review. She also noted about $600,000 held by the county comptroller that could be claimed for county departments and an additional $400,000 identified across HECRA, Harris County Health and Flood Control combined.

Ramirez warned the court that Senate Bill 850 will change refund processing timelines. Previously refunds were processed on a monthly deadline; the law ties the 60‑day refund deadline to the date a judgment is signed, creating many more discrete deadlines. Ramirez said the office typically processes about 11,000 refunds a month, of which ~1,100 result from litigation; under SB 850 the office could face up to 18,000 distinct deadlines per month and will likely need staff increases or automation to avoid interest costs to the county and taxing entities. She said the state did not provide implementation funding.

Commissioners asked about staffing, the use and conversion of temporary employees, and how the office will operationalize SB 850. Ramirez said the office capped temporary workers at 60 (previous administrations had used as many as 157), converted at least 20 temps to permanent in the current cycle, and aims to convert more. She said voter‑registration and motor‑vehicle divisions still use seasonal or temporary staff but that converting those positions to permanent roles would improve retention and service quality. Ramirez said the office is coordinating with the appraisal district and with the county attorneys’ office on data and process changes needed to meet SB 850 timelines.

Ending: Ramirez thanked the court and staff and reiterated the tax office’s commitment to find efficiencies and additional revenue while maintaining service improvements. She said the office will continue to brief OMB and the court as it refines revenue offsets and implementation plans for the new refund deadlines.