The Clear Creek ISD board of trustees on Monday approved a property tax rate consistent with past years but adjusted to help cover operational costs.

The tax rate was set at $1.4 per $100 valuation—the same amount the rate has been for at least the past three years, said Paul McLarty, deputy superintendent of business and support services.

The rate includes money that goes toward maintenance and operations, or M&O, and debt service. Traditionally, $1.04 of the $1.4 rate has gone toward M&O, and $0.36 of the rate has gone toward paying off debt, he said.

The new tax rate includes shifting two pennies from debt service to M&O for the new rates of $1.06 per $100 valuation for M&O and $0.34 per $100 valuation for debt service, McLarty said.

Officials moved the pennies to help recover some of the costs Hurricane Harvey brought. Districts can legally increase its M&O tax rate without a vote within the year of a natural disaster that damages the district, he said.

Local property tax revenue did not increase this year as much as officials had hoped because of damage from Harvey, and state revenue has continued to decline. Extra tax dollars toward operations will help the district close its deficit fiscal year 2018-19 budget, McLarty said.

Still, officials did not increase the overall tax rate because they wanted to honor the many district residents whose homes flooded and suffered financial loss from the storm, he said.