Houston to Seek Property Tax Increase for Police, Firefighters

(Bloomberg) -- Houston Mayor John Whitmire plans to seek voter approval for the first property tax increase in almost two decades to boost public-safety spending.

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Whitmire, who took the helm of the fourth-largest US city in January, estimated the increase would cost the average Houston homeowner roughly $15 a month. Under the city charter, property tax increases above a certain threshold require voter approval.

“I will ask the public to make an exception for public safety on the revenue cap,” Whitmire said at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy on Wednesday. “It would be $15 a month to have a response time for fire and police that people need.”

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