By David Taylor / Managing Editor
An attempt by the Harris County Emergency Services District 5 to increase the ad valorem tax rate on all taxable property within the District in Crosby failed last Saturday in a lopsided count, 188 (67.63%) against and 90 (32.37%) for the measure.
“We’ve always been a three-cent district since we were first established back in the 90s,” said Blake Milnes, EMS outreach coordinator. “We were just trying to raise that cap to 10 cents which is by law our maximum. We weren’t trying to get 10 cents, we were just trying to raise the cap for the future,” he said.
Milnes said he thought that was where the disconnect was and a lot of misinformation going around online.
The board of commissioners of Harris County EMS District 5 met on January 30, 2025, and approved a motion to increase the tax rate cap to the maximum amount of ten cents ($0.10) per one hundred dollars ($100) of assessed valuation. No tax increase was included in this particular vote, but voters weren’t having it regardless.
At the meeting where board members Vice President Luther Brady, Secretary Larry Lee Hall, Treasurer James Blaha and Assistant Treasurer Brent Burley voted for the measure, only President Sharon Cotton was not present for the vote.
According to unofficial numbers released on Saturday night following the vote, the proposition lost early voting, 92-47, and election day 93-38. There were only eight ballots by mail, five for, and three against.
A closer look at voting in every precinct and the proposition lost in every one of them.
The May election in Texas is often referred to as the May Uniform Election, or the May Joint & Special Election.
In Texas, this election is a significant opportunity for voters to influence local governance. Voters choose officials for various local political subdivisions like cities, school districts, and water districts. These elections include regular general elections for governing body members and special elections to fill vacancies.
It’s also known for having low turnout rates. The precinct with the largest turnout came from Precinct 0604 with 2,707 registered voters and only a 70-vote turnout. District-wide there are nine precincts 0097, 0251, 0387, 0502, 0531, 0604, 0700, 0988, and 1008 for a total of 19,446 and 278 total votes—a dismal 1.43 percent turnout.
“We were just trying to meet the growth that’s coming to our town. We’re trying to stay ahead of the curve. The outcome was not what we wanted, but we will keep doing our job, no slacking there,” Milnes said.
The unofficial votes will likely be canvassed at their next board meeting.
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