Midtown homeowners tell College Station council rising MMD levy and weak occupancy enforcement are eroding neighborhood promises

Several Midtown residents urged the College Station City Council on Jan. 23 to act after they said municipal management district (MMD) taxes rose sharply while promised commercial amenities did not materialize.

The heart of the complaint came from Shelby Behm, who said she lives in Midtown and that her 2024 property-tax bill showed a roughly $500 increase even though her property value had fallen and state tax relief had been enacted. "I discovered the reason for this is due to the municipal management district my property is zoned to had increased their tax rate 30% year to year," Behm said, adding that homeowners were sold a vision that included shops, restaurants and a recreation center that never arrived.

Why it matters: Behm and other speakers said the higher MMD levy and the lack of commercial development are shifting costs onto homeowners and undercutting the neighborhood plan promoted when properties were sold.

Other speakers connected that concern to long-running disputes…