The Harris County Emergency Services District No. 9 board of commissioners unanimously approved the second property tax rate increase in the past 10 years during a Sept. 24 special meeting.
Harris County ESD 9 serves as a political subdivision and taxing entity that supports fire suppression and emergency service operations for the Cy-Fair Fire Department.
What you need to know
In a 3-1 vote with Commissioner Jaime Martinez opposed and Commissioner Rob Paiva abstaining, the board of commissioners approved the fiscal year 2026-27 budget. Paiva said the approved budget includes a projected $3.89 million shortfall, based on the adopted tax rate of $0.045 per $100 of valuation.
Commissioner Cameron Dickey said the adopted rate is the second approved property tax rate increase in the last 10 years with that previous occurring in 2019.
The adopted rate is projected to increase a median-valued homestead's yearly property tax bill by about $1.20 a month compared to the previous tax year, according to a taxpayer impact statement.
The discussion
Paiva and Martinez both said they were conflicted about approving the tax rate increase.
Paiva said raising the tax rate isn't going to fix the district’s projected shortfall, and he doesn't want to place that onto taxpayers. He said even if they had adopted the highest rate before having to call a tax rate election, it still wouldn’t balance the shortfall.
“As we look for the future of the fire district, there is no organization I know that can both grow and keep expenses at the same level,” Dickey said. “In order to add staff … you have to be able to add expenses.”
Some context
In 2023 the board of commissioners received the Citygate reports, which Dickey said provided recommendations to CFFD regarding organization structure, new fire station locations, and more. According to previous Community Impact reporting, the audit recommended eight new fire stations in order to match the population growth. Commissioner Bevin Gordon said many of the audit's findings reinforced needs identified by the CFFD command staff years prior.
Per previous Community Impact reporting, costs from additional personnel in FY 2026-27 for two upcoming fire stations are a contributor to the projected shortfall. Dickey said the adopted rate is a blended approach toward combatting the ongoing projected shortfalls, because of the planned growth, in fiscal years to come. According to previous Community Impact reporting, the district's reserve funds have been built up for CFFD’s planned growth, although financial projections show these funds depleting in fiscal years to come.
In other news
Directly following the Sept. 24 special meeting, the board of commissioners held a regular meeting where they received construction and design updates regarding upcoming fire stations, and discussed the posting of election documents on the CFFD website.
Three seats on the dais of five are up for election on Nov. 3 with four candidates on the ballot:
Daniel Arizpe
Naressa MacKinnon, Incumbent
Cameron Dickey, Incumbent
Deborah Shepler
The Harris County ESD 9 board of commissioners is slated to meet Oct. 29 at 6:30 p.m. at the District Administration Building located at 10710 Telge Road, Houston.
