Community Supports ESD48 with Great Turn Out at Polls

Harris County ESD No. 48 (HCESD48) is happy to announce that Proposition A was supported by the community. This proposition approved an ad valorem tax rate of $0.10 per $100 valuation, which is $0.01912 higher per $100 valuation than the voter-approval tax rate for the current year. The purpose of this increase in the tax rate is to maintain fire protection, EMS (Emergency Medical Services), and rescue services in the district. 

To provide some context, in the previous year, the ad valorem tax rate was $0.086911 per $100 valuation. If Proposition A had not passed, the property tax rate would have decreased to $0.080880 per $100 valuation, resulting in a total revenue loss of $4,807,112 for the district. This loss in revenue would have impacted the ability to maintain critical services such as fire protection, EMS , and rescue services. 

With the passage of Proposition A, the community has chosen to support the increased tax rate to ensure the continued availability of these essential services in HCESD48. 

“We are humbled by the overwhelming voter support from our community! We will continue to provide excellent fire and EMS response, Community Risk Reduction programs, and are committed to good stewardship of taxpayer resources entrusted to us. The additional revenue will allow us to add a 6th ambulance with the goal of keeping response times down. Our citizens are best served by rapid emergency response. Thank you, ESD 48 community voters!” said Fire Chief George McAteer. 

In mid-October, My Neighborhood News sat down with Harris County ESD No. 48 Fire Department's Public Information Officer, Jason Tharp, to better understand the implications of this important election, publishing an article for neighborhoods within HCESD No. 48's territory to break down Proposition A.

“There were a total of seven Emergency Service Districts with Proposition A on the ballot in Harris County. Our community really showed their support for ESD48 with 10,518 votes casted, the most votes amongst the seven ESDs. We know that with everything costing more to live, the last thing we wanted to do was to ask for a slight increase in taxes. However, we are delighted that the community supported us by seeing the data to support the necessary increase” said Public Information Officer Jason Tharp.