The Twelve Percent Shakeup: Midlothian Ratifies a Multi-Million Dollar Property Tax Grab
Imagine being told that you must pay twelve percent more of your income this year for the exact same public services you received last year. There is no negotiation, no option to opt out, and no choice. For the residents of Midlothian, Texas, this scenario became a painful reality during a special called meeting on September 9, 2026. The Midlothian City Council made the conscious decision to dramatically expand the size and scope of local government, funding their ambitions directly out of the pockets of hardworking taxpayers.
During this meeting, the council passed Ordinance 2026-315 to levy ad valorem property taxes for the 2026-2027 fiscal year at a rate of $0.640000 per $100 of assessed valuation, as recorded in the City of Midlothian Special Called Agenda Packet. This rate is split between $0.336585 for maintenance and operations and $0.303415 for debt service. But the true gut-punch came with the passage of Ordinance 2026-316, which officially ratified a massive 12.19 percent property tax revenue increase compared to last year's budget.
This vote means the city will extract an additional $5,560,152 in property taxes from local residents, as documented on the City of Midlothian Budget & Tax Information Center. Rather than exercising fiscal discipline and finding ways to cut waste, local officials decided to lock in a double-digit tax revenue hike, showing a complete disregard for the financial struggles of the families who live there. It is a stark reminder that local governments often act as wealth extraction machines rather than public servants.
This systematic extraction of private wealth is a prime target for reform advocates across Texas. Organizations like the Texas Public Policy Foundation have long argued that property taxes in Texas represent a form of permanent rent to the government, violating the core principles of private property rights. When local councils routinely ratify double-digit revenue increases, they outpace taxpayers' ability to keep up, effectively forcing families out of their homes. This highlights the urgent need for structural limits on local spending to protect the economic survival of Texans.