Residents not thrilled about mayor's proposed property tax hike

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Many Houston residents are still dealing with flood damaged homes and wondering how much it will cost them to get back to normal.

On top of paying for repairs, the city of Houston may increase property taxes by nine percent.

The key is if the city council agrees to this. We should know tomorrow if the proposal will go forward.

Here's a look at what the numbers mean for you.

The current rate of 58.6 cents per $100 valuation would go up to 63.8 cents for 12 months.

The tax hike would be temporary because it's an emergency request in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

The average home in Houston is valued at $225,000. The increase would add about $117 a year to the tax bill.

That breaks down to about $10 a month for 12 months.

Mayor Sylvester Turner says it's needed to pay for Harvey relief.

People told ABC13 they are not happy with the idea and would rather see the state dip into the rainy day fund to offset the city's expenses.

"I think the state should be responsible for that. Raising taxes on middle class working people is just putting another burden on the family," said Houston resident Ricky Stewart.

Houston is still a long way from seeing the tax hike. The first item in the process to pass the increase is to be presented to the city council Wednesday.

The city would then hold three public hearings before being able to vote on the increase. Those hearings are planned for Monday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m., Monday, Oct. 2 at 6 p.m., Wednesday, Oct 11 at 9 a.m.

If approved, the move would bring in $110 million.

Homeowners would see the increase tacked on to their first bills of 2018.

Editors note: an earlier version of this story included outdated dates for the public hearing. Those dates have since been updated by city council.

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