City of Houston · Revenue Comparison
The mayor has proposed a $5/month garbage fee to raise $24 million in new revenue. Is this the best deal for your household?
Use this simple tool to find out!
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What is the value of your home?
Adjust to match your situation
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Homestead exemption Reduces taxable home value by 20%. Applies if this is your primary residence.
Reduces taxable value by 20%
Senior/disabled exemption First $260,000 of adjusted value is not taxed. Applied after the homestead reduction.
First $260K not taxed
Adjusted value After 20% homestead reduction, if toggled on.
$240,000
Taxable value Adjusted value minus the $260K senior exemption (if on).
$240,000
Property tax rate increase required to match revenue target
0.86¢ per $100
Which option costs you less?
Garbage fee
$5.00
/mo · $60.00/yr
Property tax
$2.00
/mo · $24.00/yr
How this plays out across home values
Same exemption settings as above. Your closest home value is highlighted.
| Home value | Garbage fee/yr | Prop. tax/yr | Most expensive | Difference |
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Put this in perspective
Monthly cost for your household, expressed as everyday items
Garbage fee
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Property tax
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What if the city needs to raise more?
The mayor's proposal targets $24M in additional revenue through a new garbage fee. But full-cost solid waste services run closer to $150M. Slide or type to explore different funding levels — then scroll back up to see how the garbage fee and property tax figures change. Both options always raise the same amount.
Annual revenue target
$24,000,000
Assumptions
·$5/mo garbage fee raises ~$24M/yr based on ~400K Houston households
·1¢ property tax increase raises ~$28M/yr citywide; rate is calculated from your revenue target
·Homestead exemption: reduces home value by 20% before tax is calculated
·Senior exemption: first $260,000 of adjusted value is not taxed
·No other exemptions modeled. Individual results will vary.
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Are you a renter?
Estimate how this affects you too
Taxes and fees on rental properties don't stay with the landlord — they're typically passed along to tenants, often with a markup. If you rent, you can use this tool to estimate the assessed value of your home or apartment based on your monthly rent. Once you have that number, enter it in the calculator above. For best results, turn off the homestead exemption — rental properties don't qualify for it.
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