HARRS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — County workers went door-to-door on Saturday morning in Sunnyside to help people save on their property taxes.<\/p>\n
The workers told ABC13 that they are targeting certain communities in Harris County.<\/p>\n
13 Investigates discovered in 2025 that there were dramatic disparities among homeowners and who pays what in property taxes.<\/p>\n
13 INVESTIGATES: How property tax disparities impact Houston homeowners<\/a><\/p>\n “Minority communities or socioeconomically challenged communities that don’t take advantage of the homestead exemptions, whether it’s a lack of education or a lack of access – they’re paying more than their fair share in property taxes…because they’re not protesting,” Harris County Tax Collector Annette Ramirez said.<\/p>\n Teams with Harris County took to the streets to bring education to the community about the over 65 exemptions they may qualify for, such as the homestead exemption<\/a>.<\/p>\n In 2025, 13 Investigates and the ABC Owned Television Stations’ data teams found that minorities across Harris County are paying 20% more in property taxes despite living in homes that are lower in property value.<\/p>\n Eyewitness News spoke with Cynthia Cooper, who had just received a $35,000 bill for her property taxes.<\/p>\n “Maybe if it was explained to me how it works…how the homestead exception works, I just recently got that three years ago, could’ve had it – it’s confusing,” Cooper said.<\/p>\n Ramirez said outreach teams are hitting the pavement to get the word out ahead of the exemption deadline on Thursday, April 30, but she added that this is just the beginning.<\/p>\n “I anticipate doing this like once a month…it would be my goal to get to areas of Harris County that we have identified that aren’t filing their homestead exemptions,” Ramirez said.<\/p>\n Ramirez said these areas included the underserved communities on the south, north, and northeast sides of the city.<\/p>\n HCAD also launched an online tool at HCAD.org<\/a> that helps homeowners determine eligibility through a few questions, then links are displayed to help people directly apply for exemptions available to them.<\/p>\n Harris County officials said data shows exemptions could have life-changing impacts for some families.<\/p>\n For example, a homeowner with a $250,000 property could see their tax bill drop from $5,313 to $3,020, according to officials.<\/p>\n RELATED: New online tool helps southeast Texas homeowners protest property taxes<\/a><\/p>\n