In Westside Preserve, the PID Payment Is Larger Than the City Tax Bill

A buyer of a Lot Type 1 home in Midlothian's Westside Preserve signs a notice before going under contract. The notice states a principal assessment of $35,321.98. The city-adopted 2026 plan for the district puts the installment due January 31, 2027 at $2,762.63. The City of Midlothian's own budget estimates the city tax bill on the median homestead for fiscal 2026-27 at $2,159.99. So the public improvement district costs this homeowner about $600 more a year than the city does.

That is the first number to know about this subdivision. The second is that the PID payment barely moves. The plan's schedule keeps it within a few dollars of the same amount every year until 2052, and nothing in that schedule depends on tax rates, appraisals or the housing market.

Three Charges on a Westside Preserve Home, With MidTowne for Comparison

A new home in Westside Preserve sits under the city, Midlothian ISD and its own PID, which uses either the Lot Type 1 or the Lot Type 2 schedule. Midlothian's older PID, in MidTowne, does not apply to Westside Preserve and appears below only for comparison. The comparison below uses figures adopted in August and September 2026.

To compare a scheduled installment with a rate, use the $480,494 average residential market value that Ellis Central Appraisal District gave Midlothian ISD for this year's calculations, as reported by the Midlothian Mirror. On a home worth that much, the Lot Type 1 installment works out to roughly 57 cents per $100. The city's rate is 64 cents. MidTowne's assessment on the same value would come to about $577 a year.

The two PIDs work differently. The MidTowne PID was created in 2008 as part of the MidTowne planned development. It pays for improvements and services above the city's standard level, and its FY 2026-27 operating budget is $143,400, per Ordinance 2026-57. Westside Preserve's PID was created in January 2022 to repay bonds that paid for the subdivision's public infrastructure. MidTowne's bill rises and falls with appraised value. Westside Preserve's follows a debt schedule.

Why the City's Rate Cut Doesn't Reach the PID Line

On September 9, 2026, the Midlothian City Council voted 7-0 to lower the city rate from 65 cents to 64 cents per $100. The Midlothian Mirror wrote the rate as "per $10,000," but the city's budget table lists it per $100. Midlothian ISD also cut its rate, from $1.0708 to $1.0269, according to the Mirror's coverage of the school board vote.

Neither cut changes Westside Preserve's installment. That payment repays term bonds that carry interest of 4.375% to 5.375%, with the last bonds maturing in 2052. The Lot Type 1 schedule in the city-adopted 2026 Annual Service Plan Update runs from $2,762.63 in 2027 to $2,768.51 in 2052. In no year does it drop below $2,757.

That flat schedule changes how a buyer should compare homes. A buyer weighing two houses at the same price, one in Westside Preserve and one outside any PID, is weighing about $2,760 a year of difference that is set by a debt schedule, not by a rate or an appraisal. The schedule figures are estimates, though. Collection costs, reserve fund requirements and interest earnings can push future installments up or down, and the City Council approves the exact amount each year in the annual service plan update.

Where the 2027 Installment Goes

The Lot Type 1 installment due January 31, 2027 breaks down this way:

1. Principal of $649.72
2. Interest of $1,854.44
3. Additional interest of $176.61, which goes into a reserve fund
4. Collection costs of $81.86

About two-thirds of the payment is interest, and less than a quarter reduces the debt. The district-wide numbers show the same split. Improvement Area #1 owes $411,000 of principal and $1,173,082.50 of interest in 2027. Its collection costs total $51,775.92, including $34,402.10 for P3Works administration and $2,500 in trustee fees.

Over the full schedule, the Lot Type 1 parcel pays $71,826.63 on a $35,321.98 principal. Interest makes up $31,009.03 of that total. Paying the schedule to the end costs about twice the principal stated on the notice.

The Balance Shrinks While the Payment Stays Flat

The payment stays nearly the same, but the balance under it goes down. Add up the principal portions of the five installments from 2027 through 2031 and you get $3,583.73. That leaves roughly $31,700 owed after the January 2031 payment. Someone who buys an existing Westside Preserve home in 2031 is scheduled to pay about the same $2,759 a year as the first owner did, against a smaller debt.

The notice says the assessment "may be paid in full at any time." Because of that, the remaining balance on a specific parcel matters, and two similar homes in the same subdivision may not carry the same one. The annual update says each parcel's installment can be adjusted to reflect prepayments made before the bill goes out. For a fair comparison between a new home and a resale on the same street, add each home's remaining PID balance to its price.

Builders currently marketing Westside Preserve, near Miller Road and U.S. 287, include First Texas Homes, Kindred Homes, Bloomfield Homes and DRB Homes. DRB sells both a Classic and a Premier collection. Every one of those builders' homes in Improvement Area #1 is a Lot Type 1 or Lot Type 2 parcel on the same assessment roll.

The Notice Must Come Before the Contract

Texas sets the timing in Property Code Section 5.014. Westside Preserve's buyer disclosure repeats the requirement in plain language:

The following notice shall be given to a prospective purchaser before the execution of a binding contract of purchase and sale, either separately or as an addendum or paragraph of a purchase contract. In the event a contract of purchase and sale is entered into without the seller having provided the required notice, the purchaser, subject to certain exceptions, is entitled to terminate the contract.

A separate copy, signed by both seller and buyer, is filed in the Ellis County real property records at closing. The notice also states that failing to pay an installment can lead to penalties, interest, a lien and foreclosure. This post is general information and not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm how any assessment affects your own purchase with a real estate attorney, tax professional or lender.

Westside Preserve Is Not the Only PID on U.S. 287

Redden Farms is a 251-acre, 535-lot community by Hines at U.S. 287 and FM 1387. Builders there include Antares Homes, David Weekley Homes, Impression Homes and John Houston Homes. It has its own PID, and the City Council reviews its service plan every year alongside Westside Preserve's. A buyer there should ask for the current annual service plan update for the specific lot type before signing anything.

Buyers have plenty of new homes to compare. In November 2025, the Midlothian Mirror reported that the Midlothian ISD demographer counted 747 homes under construction in the district and about 2,300 developed lots waiting for houses. He also forecast that the housing market would bottom out during the 2026-27 school year. With that much new inventory, homes with similar prices and floor plans can still differ by a few thousand dollars a year, and the special-district line is often where that difference shows up.

Quick Answers

When is the Westside Preserve installment due? The 2026 installments are billed to the parcels on the assessment roll and become delinquent if not paid by January 31, 2027.

How do I find the number for a specific lot? Exhibits A-1 and A-2 of the 2026 Annual Service Plan Update list each parcel's total assessment and current installment. Owners who think their entry is wrong can send written notice to the administrator at [email protected] by December 1.

Is the MidTowne PID the same kind of charge? No. MidTowne charges 12 cents per $100 of appraised value on residential lots of record and nothing on unplatted land, so its bill moves with value. Westside Preserve's installment follows a bond schedule.

How much of the city's levy increase came from new homes? The city levy rose by $5,560,152 this year, and $5,001,958 of that came from new homes and businesses added to the tax roll, according to the Midlothian Mirror.

If you're comparing new-construction homes along U.S. 287, Ivy House Realty can pull the assessment roll and lot-type schedule for each home you're considering, so you can compare full carrying costs as well as list prices before you sign. Contact Us.