Tomball City Council is moving forward with a property tax rate of $0.340940 per $100 valuation of a home for fiscal year 2026-27, keeping the rate unchanged from the current fiscal year.
Council voted 5-0 Aug. 17 to ratify the FY 2026-27 budget based on the proposed rate and acknowledge that the rate exceeds the city’s no-new-revenue rate, meaning it will generate more property tax revenue than the previous year.
What it means
While the rate itself is not increasing, council members spent part of the discussion explaining why that does not necessarily mean every homeowner’s city tax bill will stay the same.
Tomball Finance Director Bragg Farmer said the difference comes down to property values. As an example, Farmer said a home valued at $300,000 could increase to $330,000, which would result in a higher tax bill even with the same tax rate.
Council member Lisa Covington also asked who is responsible for setting those property values.
“The county does,” Farmer said, later clarifying that the Harris County Appraisal District determines valuations. “The only thing we do is set the property tax rate ... and this year we chose to keep the tax rate the same as our current year.”
The city’s 2026 tax-rate calculation worksheet lists its no-new-revenue rate at $0.329687 per $100 valuation of a home and its voter-approval rate at $0.360189. The proposed $0.340940 rate falls between the two.
According to the city’s FY 2026-27 budget and tax-rate information, Tomball is budgeting about $13.62 million in property tax revenue, compared with about $12.46 million projected for FY 2025-26.
Breaking it down
Council also unanimously approved the two portions that make up the overall rate.
Of the $0.340940 rate, $0.155156 per $100 valuation of a home will go toward the city’s interest and sinking fund, or debt service, while $0.185784 will fund maintenance and operations.
City staff said the maintenance and operations portion is used for general city operations, while the debt-service portion can only be used to make debt payments.
Council held a public hearing on the tax rate during the meeting, but no residents spoke. Council then voted 5-0, council members thanked city staff for maintaining the same overall rate.
“The citizens don't realize how complicated it is to keep it flat,” Mayor Pro Tem Paul Garcia said before the vote.
What’s next
Farmer said the final tax-rate hearing is scheduled for Sept. 8 at 6 p.m. in City Council chambers.
