Elected officials in Huffman Independent School District are set to vote Tuesday on raising property taxes by as much as 25 percent without voters’ approval by taking advantage of a “disaster” exception in the tax code.
Texas’ tax code allows school districts to adopt a one-time tax increase without voter approval to help offset costs associated with a declared disaster “including a tornado, hurricane, flood, wildfire, or other calamity.”
Huffman ISD filed claims with FEMA for damages caused by Hurricane Beryl after Acting Gov. Dan Patrick declared a state of disaster due to the storm in dozens of counties including Harris.
Trustees tabled a September vote on a property tax rate so they could consider a revised proposal that includes adding a maximum of 12 “disaster pennies” to the rate.
The September tax rate notice published by the district calculated a voter approval rate of $1.065 and proposed a maximum rate of $1.185—a 25 percent increase over last year’s rate.
At that rate, the average homeowner’s tax bill would increase by $576 to $2,622—a 28 percent jump.
“You just can’t raise citizens’ taxes by 25 percent using a loophole in this economy,” district resident William Bennett told Texas Scorecard. “It is cruel.”
He and other residents say Huffman ISD officials often fall short when it comes to transparency and fiscal responsibility. They point to an audit that was completed in June but won’t be released to the public until after the November school board election. Four board positions are on the ballot.
