Harris County Department of Education Board votes to lower tax rate for 11th consecutive year

The Harris County Department of Education Board of Trustees voted to lower the tax rate for the 11th consecutive year at its regular October meeting. The Board adopted the recommended rate of $0.004799 per $100 of taxable property value for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, a slight decrease from the current $0.004800 tax rate. Since 2013, HCDE has lowered its tax rate by 31% for a savings of $4.55 for residents with a $250,000 home. “HCDE continues to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars for Harris County residents and our business model has allowed us to continue to reduce the tax rate while maximizing services,” HCDE Superintendent James Colbert Jr. said. “This is a demonstration of our dedication to serve at-risk populations and results in a win for students, educators and the entire HCDE community.” For a home with an assessed value of $250,000 with a homestead exemption, the adopted rate of $0.004799 means the average Harris County homeowner will pay HCDE less than $10 per year in property taxes for education services. An individual’s taxes may still rise if the value of his or her property increases. Annually, HCDE proposes a tax rate when approving the coming year’s budget each...