Midlothian school board trustees approved a property tax increase for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
The vote was 6-1, with Midlothian Independent School District Trustee Ed Harrison casting the lone vote against the tax hike during a special board meeting Monday night.
According to a taxpayer impact statement included in the board meeting agenda, owners of a median-valued homestead will pay an estimated property tax bill of $2,603, a small decrease from last year’s median-homeowner tax bill of $2,710.
The statement shows only a slight increase in the district’s estimated median taxable home value, from $253,160 to $253,511, in part due to an increase in the state-mandated school district homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000 approved by Texas voters in November 2025.
Yet according to a presentation by Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations Rebecca Metzger, the average taxable value of residences in Midlothian ISD increased about $2,000 compared to last year.
At the same time, the value of the entire certified tax roll increased almost 11 percent, which includes over $900 million in new value added to the rolls since last year.
Taxpayers will pay a rate of $1.0269 per $100 of taxable assessed valuation, with $0.616 going to maintenance and operating (M&O) expenses and $0.41 used to pay off bond debt principal and interest (I&S) including debt from a $389 million bond passed in November 2025.
The district’s maximum-allowed M&O tax under state-mandated rate compression was $0.6218, including a 5-cent “enrichment” rate.
Metzger noted that Midlothian ISD held a public hearing on the new tax rate in June. Because the final proposed rate was lower, the district was not required to hold a second hearing.
She told trustees that “districts must tax at their maximum capacity to receive our full state funding” and that “our only mechanisms to increase revenue are through enrollment growth, through special allotment demographic growth, or legislative action to increase the basic allotment, or through a voter-approval tax rate election.”
“They actually reward districts for having a higher tax rate,” added Metzger.
Harrison noted that the now-approved tax rate exceeds the No New Revenue Rate of $0.96 per $100, meaning it is a tax increase.
“I can’t support this new tax rate because it will raise the amount of property tax that most property owners will be forced to pay,” said Harrison. “I don’t recall hearing, but perhaps my fellow trustees campaigned on the promise that they would raise property taxes. I never did that, and I won’t. To the contrary, I promised that I would vote against higher taxes, and I will do that. I will keep my promise tonight.”
“It’s not just my opinion that the proposed tax hike is a tax increase,” said Harrison, pointing to the district’s own website and adding that the new rate almost triggers a voter-approval tax rate election (VATRE).
The district’s calculated voter-approval tax rate is $1.042.
“But my colleagues know how elections go when voters get to approve or deny their proposed tax hikes,” said Harrison.
“Let me be clear what a yes vote means. A yes vote is to raise property taxes. By voting yes, you’re voting to not serve the public, but rather to steal more from the public. We can have strong schools without increasing taxes,” he added.
During public comments prior to the vote, Midlothian resident Lisa Healy told the board that Trustee Gary Vineyard was delinquent in paying his property taxes and said public documents showed it was “habitual behavior.”
Healy called it “the height of hypocrisy.”
“This is the trustee who called taxpayers greedy and stingy when the VATRE failed,” said Healy. “Gary Vineyard has refused to pay his own property tax bill for years, and is now taking it upon himself to not just set the tax rate for everyone, but to raise taxes.”
Harrison moved to require any trustees delinquent in their taxes within the last 12 months to recuse themselves from voting on the tax rate, “especially since it’s a tax increase.” His motion did not receive a second.
Trustee Tami Tobey responded with what she called a “diatribe” against Harrison.
Tobey said the district has to “educate every single kid,” and “if we leave money on the table, and then we run out of money … taxpayers are going to say, ‘Why didn’t you do your job?’”
“And so, my diatribe is this,” said Tobey. “I’m heartbroken because you can’t see the forest for the trees. We’ve laid it out and laid it out and laid it out.”
“I’m tired of having to listen to one side of the story up here, and then look at the chaos that’s being created online in our community,” she said. “We should be working together collaboratively as a board, and then after that, we move on and we take care of our business. And our business is not whether or not Mr. Vineyard paid his taxes.”
Harrison’s son, State Rep. Brian Harrison (R–Midlothian) posted to X after the meeting.
“Should a public school board Trustee, who is DELINQUENT on his own property taxes, be allowed to VOTE TO RAISE PROPERTY TAXES!???? That may have just happened tonight in @MidlothianISD. Developing…”
Several commenters agreed with Trustee Harrison, responding “no,” with some others commenting that there should be no property taxes at all.
Midlothian ISD residents with questions or concerns can contact their elected school board members.
The next Midlothian ISD school board election will be held on May 1, 2027, with Places 1, 2, and 3 on the ballot.
