At a public hearing on Oct. 5, Bellaire City Council voted to maintain the property tax rate at $0.4174 per $100 valuation for fiscal year 2026‑27. The decision follows council member Catherine Lewis’s concerns about raising taxes and a subsequent review of the originally proposed $0.4268 rate.
How the rate was refined
Chief Financial Officer Terrence Beaman explained that staff lowered the proposed rate by increasing commercial drainage revenues by about $66,000, cutting transfers to the general fund by $78,000, reducing overtime expenses by $7,600, and applying $277,000 of excess debt‑service fund balance. The maintenance‑and‑operations (M&O) portion remains at $0.3089, while the debt‑service portion was reduced to $0.1085.
Financial impact
Under the unchanged rate, Bellaire will generate a total budgeted tax levy of $25,617,411. The average homeowner can expect to pay $3,789 in property taxes, with the city’s average home value rising 4.80% to $907,764.
Official comments
Mayor Pro Tem Winfred C. Frazier praised the staff’s effort, noting the importance of keeping the tax rate low for residents. Council member Jackie Georgiou added that as Bellaire grows, openness to budget adjustments will be needed to sustain expected service levels.
The FY 2026‑27 budget runs from Oct. 1, 2026, through Sept. 30, 2027. A future amendment will reflect the adopted lower tax rate.
Original reporting: Community Impact — Houston — read the source article.
