Mesquite council approves Solterra PID assessment plan and authorizes levy tied to developer reimbursement bonds

The Mesquite City Council on Oct. 20 held public hearings and approved ordinances to levy assessments for several improvement areas in the Solterra Public Improvement District and to adopt corresponding service and assessment plans.

Finance Director Ted Chen outlined the assessments and the amortization approach across multiple improvement areas (A-2, A-3.1, A-3.2, A-4, A-5 and C-4). Chen said the assessments are liens on the Solterra lots and will be paid by the property owners who buy homes in the development, generally as annual installments on the same schedule as property-tax bills. He said the typical amortization period for these assessments is 20 years.

Chen gave example averages for annual installments by lot area and width: Area A2 averages about $3,548 for 40-foot lots and about $4,257 for 50-foot lots; Area A3.1 50-foot lots average about $3,981 and 60-foot lots about $4,769; Area C-4 40-foot lots average roughly $3,991 and 50-foot lots about $4,257. Chen said there are about 859 lots across the six phases the council reviewed.

The city plans to issue bonds tied to those assessments; proceeds will reimburse developers for public improvements already constructed (streets, water, sewer and landscaping). Councilmembers asked whether the assessments affect other Mesquite taxpayers; Chen said assessments are paid only by the buyers of Solterra lots and do not impact other property owners in Mesquite.

After the public-hearing period, the council approved the assessment ordinances and the service plans by unanimous vote (items 19–21). Chen said the city intends to issue bonds related to the development in mid-November to effectuate the reimbursements.