During a public hearing for the proposed 2017 Fort Bend County tax rate Wednesday, County Judge Robert Hebert clarified that the rate will not be increased and said he expects it should not be affected due to Hurricane Harvey.

“If there is a one cent increase in our revenue collected year over year, we must declare that as a tax rate increase,” Hebert said. “[But] we are not increasing the tax rate.”

The proposed 2017 total property and drainage tax rate will remain $0.46900 per $100 valuation of property, which includes a half-cent reduction from last year’s rate.

Some citizens at the public hearing expressed concern about the tax rate after the county announced it would see an increase. Commissioners explained this terminology is required by the state of Texas in order to comply with an outdated law, and despite this phrasing, the tax rate will actually decrease.

“Now people ask, ‘You’re announcing that there is a tax increase, how is that the case?’” Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Myers said during the hearing. “It’s the case because under the current law, there is an artificial construct that the state makes us go through to eliminate…the participation that the counties do with the cities with regard to their tax increment reinvestment zones.”

Reappraising properties after Harvey


Hebert said the county has been working with FEMA to assess property damages following the storm. He said they adjust the values of the homes based on the damage they sustained coupled with what the chief of the County Appraisal District predicts the adjustment for the market value will be.

“We took that total amount of value and took it off the tax roll for this year,” Hebert said. “We authorized a reappraisal of damages effective with the date of the declaration of disaster so those folks that...got damage, will actually get their taxes reduced by the amount of the adjusted pro-rated value compared to the Jan. 1 value.”

In a county commissioner meeting Tuesday Sept. 12, the court authorized the CAD to reappraise approximately 6,000 to 7,000 properties damaged by the hurricane.

Hebert said he expects Hurricane Harvey to cost the county about $1 million in revenue this year and by next year that number will jump to about $3.3 million. He said the county has prepared for an event like this, though in that its reserves are enough to absorb the loss without taking much of a hit.

“…Reserves currently are a little bit above $52 million, and we can absorb that $4.3-4.4 million dollars over the next two years with no impact,” Hebert said. “Bottom line is we don’t anticipate having to increase taxes in coming years because of Harvey at all, based on the recommendation of our financial advisers.”

A public hearing to discuss the possibility of FEMA buying out homes damaged by the hurricane and floods is set for 2-4 p.m. Sept. 23rd at Fulshear High School, according to Commissioner Myers.

Commissioners will hold another public hearing on the proposed 2017 tax rate 1 p.m. Sept. 26th at the courthouse in downtown Richmond.