Westlake Has the Lowest Tax Rate Around. So Why Can Two Westlake Homes Get Very Different Tax Bills?

Westlake's town property tax rate is $0.185 per $100 of value. The Town calls it the lowest of its neighbors, including Southlake, Keller and Roanoke. That rate is accurate and it is low. It is also a small part of what a Westlake homeowner pays. A much larger part depends on which of three public school districts the address is zoned to. For the 2026–27 rates now adopted, the difference between the lowest and highest of those districts is almost as large as Westlake's entire town tax.

So the lowest-rate claim is true and still a weak predictor of your bill. When you compare Westlake with the towns around it, compare one address at a time.

The stack on a single Westlake address

The Town confirms that Westlake addresses can be zoned to Carroll ISD, Keller ISD or Northwest ISD. Each district set its rate for the 2026–27 year in August or September. Carroll ISD lowered its rate to $0.9269 per $100. Northwest ISD lowered its rate to $1.0638. Keller ISD kept its rate at $1.0852 for a third straight year.

Tarrant County parcels also carry the county, the hospital district and the community college. In September, Tarrant County adopted $0.1860, commissioners approved $0.159 for the JPS hospital district, and Tarrant County College trustees approved $0.1200.

Here is how those rates add up on a Tarrant County parcel in Westlake, before exemptions:

The Carroll and Keller columns differ by $0.1583 per $100. The town's whole rate is $0.185. Before exemptions, that gap works out to about $1,583 a year for every $1 million of taxable value. On a large Westlake property it can easily cost more than a design refresh or a year of landscaping.

Read the table as an illustration. Exemptions vary by taxing unit, and a given parcel may carry other special-district charges. The Tarrant County tax estimator lists water districts and other units as separate lookup fields. We found no official subdivision-by-subdivision map of which Westlake communities fall in which school district. Confirm by address every time, not by neighborhood name.

This is about tax jurisdiction only. The school district line on a tax bill is a rate, and a rate is what this table compares.

How the town portion shrank while town revenue grew

Westlake's own line moved in a direction that surprises many buyers. On Sept. 15, the Town Council adopted the FY 2026–27 budget and ratified a property tax revenue increase. New construction and higher values on the tax roll mean the Town projects more revenue. The rate stayed flat, and the Town says the average homeowner's bill will fall by $442. The adopted rate is $0.021222 below the no-new-revenue rate, which the Town describes as effectively a tax decrease.

The Town's Sept. 30 budget explainer gives the reason. Appraised home values went down from the prior year, so the average homestead bill drops even at a flat rate. Revenue can still go up when home values go down because homes are not the only thing on the roll. The explainer lists property taxes, sales tax collected when people shop in Westlake, utility and service fees, and permit fees from new development as the Town's funding sources.

The budget figures show how much room that creates:

• General Fund revenue: $22,669,725 budgeted for FY 2027
• General Fund spending: $14,878,123
• Surplus: $7,791,602, which raises the ending fund balance to $51,229,373
• Outstanding debt: $49.07 million across 11 issuances as of Oct. 1, 2026, with $4,727,128 budgeted for debt service
• Water and sewer: no rate increase planned for the fiscal year

The Town says it built reserves over the last three years on purpose, to pay cash for part of its future capital projects and borrow less. One project already in the pipeline is a proposed one-million-gallon elevated water tank north of Stagecoach Hills. In May, council approved up to $800,000 for its design and engineering, and the build was estimated at $8 million to $9 million. For a buyer, the point is that Westlake's low rate rests on the non-residential side of the ledger. That side is now in the news.

The commercial base, and the Circle T case

The largest commercial proposal on that ledger is the Circle T Data Center. Developer PowerHouse Data Centers plans four buildings on roughly 88 acres along U.S. 377, in the southernmost part of Westlake where it shares a property line with Keller. The Town's project FAQ sets out the revenue case:

"The project is expected to generate: Approximately $5 million annually during the first 10 years. Approximately $7 million annually every year thereafter."

The same FAQ says the money would grow the commercial tax base, lower reliance on residential property taxes and raise Town revenue by about 14%. It also says the project includes contributions to Westlake Fire-EMS and Westlake Academy.

The project is contested, and its status is pending. Mayor Kim Greaves has said the council cannot stop the data center because the land is privately owned and already zoned for the use by right. He described the proposed development agreement as a way to set standards for noise, water, power and infrastructure. At the Aug. 17 council meeting, more than 30 speakers opposed the project. Keller City Council member Greg Will asked Westlake to "choose cooperation over confrontation."

Here is the timeline so far:

1. Aug. 17: Judge Kimberly Fitzpatrick of the 342nd District Court issued a temporary restraining order. The council tabled the agreement, which included a $914,000 payment from the developer for pump-station renovations.
2. Aug. 18: Keller City Council voted unanimously to pursue legal action.
3. Sept. 25: After several extensions, the restraining order was dissolved. The lawsuit was brought by the Lakes at Marshall Ridge Homeowners Association and two individuals, and the City of Keller has joined as an intervenor.
4. Oct. 23: A hearing is set to decide whether the plaintiffs have standing to continue.

As of the Sept. 15 recap, the council had not taken up the agreement again. The $5 million figure is a projection tied to a project still in court. It is not money already flowing into the budget.

The appraisal lag a buyer inherits

The rate is half of the math. The appraised value is the other half, and in Tarrant County appraisal timing is changing. The Tarrant Appraisal District's reappraisal plan says residential property will be reappraised only in odd years starting in 2027. All other property types will still be reappraised every year. The plan also says the homestead cap continues in non-reappraisal years. A capped homestead value can keep rising 10% a year until it reaches market value.

In May, the Fort Worth Report covered testimony at the county commissioners court. Chief appraiser Joe Don Bobbitt said the market value of "probably about 190,000" homes would likely have dropped if TAD had reappraised them this year. He added that a lower market value does not always mean a lower appraised value, because of how homestead rules work. Tax assessor-collector Rick Barnes told the paper that every property owner should appeal their value.

For a Westlake buyer, the appraised value on the county record may not match the price you are paying, in either direction. A projection built only on the current owner's bill rests on a value set under a schedule that is changing in 2027.

School district finances add one more wrinkle. Keller ISD's superintendent said district property values fell about $2 billion, from $23 billion to $21 billion, and the district's CFO noted that raising the rate to collect more money would likely just mean more recapture by the state, according to Community Impact. In Carroll ISD, the reported average taxable residence value barely changed, slipping from $997,452 to $995,831.

Before you write an offer on a Westlake home

1. Look up the exact address in the Tarrant County tax estimator and write down every taxing unit, including any water or special district.
2. Confirm the school district for the address itself. A neighboring street is not proof.
3. Find out whether the home is in a public improvement district. Westlake has used PIDs to finance infrastructure, including at Entrada and Solana. HOA dues and special assessments are separate private charges.
4. Note the exemptions that apply once you qualify for a homestead. Southlake Carroll ISD lists a $140,000 state school homestead exemption, and Tarrant County College says it grants 1% of appraised value with a $5,000 minimum.
5. Compare the appraised value with your contract price, and plan for the 2027 reappraisal year.
6. If you are buying near U.S. 377, follow the Oct. 23 hearing and the next council agenda. The Town listed a tentative Oct. 20 meeting.

None of this is tax advice. A tax professional can model your own exemptions and bill.

FAQ

Is $0.185 Westlake's rate for 2026 or 2027? The council recap from Sept. 15 calls it the tax year 2026 rate. The Town's later budget explainer refers to the 2027 tax year. Either way, the rate stays $0.185 per $100 for the fiscal year that runs Oct. 1, 2026, through Sept. 30, 2027.

Would the data center lower my Town tax bill? The Town says the project would reduce reliance on residential property taxes. No future rate has been adopted on that basis, and the project's agreement is still on hold while the lawsuit continues.

Can I appeal a Tarrant County appraisal? Yes. The Fort Worth Report noted that protests can be filed online through a TAD account, and that the deadline is generally May 15 or 30 days after the notice of value is delivered.

If you are weighing two Westlake homes, or a Westlake home against one in Southlake or Keller, Rhonda Brown can pull the taxing units for each address, compare the full rate stacks, and factor the carrying-cost difference into your offer strategy. Schedule a Consultation to run the numbers before you make an offer.