Baytown's tax rate, decoded: why "8.03%" works out to about $44
The notice said 8.03 percent, in capital letters, because state law requires it. The bill tells a smaller story. Baytown's rate for the coming year is $0.69803 per $100 of taxable value, and for the median homestead the city's share rises $43.87 for the year, about 3.09 percent, mostly because the home's taxable value went up.
Update: adopted. Council adopted $0.69803 per $100 on September 10, the same printed rate as last year. What the adopted rate means for your bill.
What the council adopted
On September 10, the Baytown City Council held a public hearing and then adopted an ordinance setting the tax rate for the year ending September 30, 2027. The rate is $0.69803 per $100 of taxable value. It has two parts, which the council must approve separately: $0.43812 for maintenance and operations, the money that runs the city, and $0.25991 for debt service, the money that repays what the city has borrowed.
The council approved the FY2027 budget on the same night, built on that rate. Texas law says a city may levy taxes only in accordance with its budget, so the two go together.
Why the notice said 8.03 percent
Texas makes every taxing unit print certain sentences in capital letters when its rate will raise more money for operations than last year. Baytown's read: "THIS TAX RATE WILL RAISE MORE TAXES FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS THAN LAST YEAR'S TAX RATE. THE TAX RATE WILL EFFECTIVELY BE RAISED BY 8.03 PERCENT AND WILL RAISE TAXES FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS ON A $100,000 HOME BY APPROXIMATELY $13.48."
That figure measures the operations part of the rate against a state formula. It is not the change in your total city tax bill. To see that, you need two other numbers the city also has to publish.
The two numbers that frame the rate
The first is the no-new-revenue rate. It is the rate that would bring in the same amount of tax as last year from properties taxed in both years. For Baytown this year it is $0.68517 per $100. The adopted rate of $0.69803 sits about 1.88 percent above it.
The second is the voter-approval rate, the highest rate the city can adopt without an election. For Baytown it is $0.74695. The adopted rate is well under it, so no election is required.
In other words, the city chose a rate between the two lines. The adopted rate sits above the no-new-revenue rate and well under the voter-approval rate, so no election is required. Residents could still speak at the September 10 hearing, and the city's notice invited them to contact council members.
What it means for a real house
The city's taxpayer impact statement follows the median-valued homestead. Its taxable value went from $203,551 last year to $209,836 this year. At the adopted rate, the city's tax on that home goes from $1,420.85 to $1,464.72. That is $43.87 more for the year, about 3.09 percent, or roughly $3.66 a month.
Had the council adopted the no-new-revenue rate instead, the same home would have paid $1,437.73. The difference between the two choices, for the median homestead, is about $27 a year.
Only part of your bill
The city is one line on a Baytown property tax bill. Goose Creek CISD, Harris County or Chambers County, the flood control district, the hospital district and others set their own rates on top. Each holds its own hearings and publishes its own notices. The city's notice is the one Baytown residents most often see, but it is not the whole bill.
Exemptions also change the math. A homestead exemption lowers the taxable value before any rate is applied. File it with the appraisal district for your county the first year you are eligible.
Where the money goes
The debt service part of the rate, $0.25991, is set to cover what the city owes this year. The city's notice lists total debt to be paid from taxes in 2026 at $16,917,093. The notice also reports an unencumbered general fund balance of $36,417,679, money the city holds that is not committed to a specific purpose.
See what the same house pays in property tax around Houston: Same house, different city.
See what the city and private builders are putting up, and who pays: Baytown is building.
Sources
- City of Baytown, City Council meeting of September 10, 2026, agenda item 5.a, public hearing on the proposed tax rate (https://public.destinyhosted.com/agenda_publish.cfm?id=22986&mt=ALL&get_month=9&get_year=2026&dsp=agm&seq=28646&rev=0&ag=3849&ln=80883)
- City of Baytown, City Council meeting of September 10, 2026, agenda item 6.b, tax rate adoption (https://public.destinyhosted.com/agenda_publish.cfm?id=22986&mt=ALL&get_month=9&get_year=2026&dsp=agm&seq=28537&rev=0&ag=3849&ln=80869)
- City of Baytown, Taxpayer Impact Statement (https://public.destinyhosted.com/baytodocs/2026/CC%20Regular/20260910_3843/28537_Taxpayer%20Impact%20Statement%2009.10.26.pdf)
- City of Baytown, Notice About 2026 Tax Rates (https://www.baytown.org/439)
- City of Baytown, Notice about the Tax Rate (https://public.destinyhosted.com/baytodocs/2026/CC%20Regular/20260910_3843/28537_Notice%20about%20the%20Tax%20Rate%2008.14.26.pdf)
En español
La tasa de impuesto de la ciudad de Baytown para el próximo año es de $0.69803 por cada $100 de valor gravable. La ley estatal obligó a la ciudad a anunciarla como un aumento de 8.03 por ciento, pero esa cifra mide solo la parte de operaciones según una fórmula del estado. Para la vivienda mediana con exención de residencia, el impuesto de la ciudad pasa de $1,420.85 a $1,464.72, unos $43.87 más al año, sobre todo porque subió el valor de la casa. La tasa queda por encima de la tasa sin ingresos nuevos, de $0.68517, y por debajo de la tasa que exigiría una elección. La ciudad es solo una parte de su factura.
Actualización: aprobada. El concejo aprobó $0.69803 por cada $100 el 10 de septiembre, la misma tasa del año pasado. Qué significa la tasa aprobada para su cuenta.