Staff Sergeant Patrick Garcia urges Bay City review of $50,000 PID assessments in Russell Ranch

Staff Sergeant Patrick Garcia, a homeowner in Russell Ranch and a U.S. Army service member, told the Bay City council during public comment that a public improvement district assessment attached to his neighborhood places “nearly 50,000 on every property” and will require yearly payments “over $4,000 for the next 30 years.” He said the total PID tied to the community is about $9,400,000 and that, with interest, homeowners could pay “over $23,000,000,” arguing that many families would face lifetime obligations amounting to “well over $120,000 per home.”

Garcia said the vote to create the PID occurred in 2024, before homes in Russell Ranch were built, and that many current homeowners had not been clearly briefed that a PID was attached to their properties. “Some residents were told it was just a MUD tax. Others families were never even told about PID at all,” Garcia said. The council did not take immediate action at the meeting but city staff said they will review disclosures and closing documents and offered one-on-one follow-up appointments. “If all of you will appear … gather the closing documents … I would be glad to sit down and look at that information with you,” staff member Scotty said.

The city staffer and councilmembers described the statutory disclosure process and said initial billing contained an error: the first assessment sent out this year should have been recorded as property of record on 01/01/2025 (not 01/01/2026), and the assessments billed for the earliest year were the developer’s responsibility, the staffer said. Staff asked residents to provide closing documents and contact information so staff can research disclosures from builders and developers and report back to the council.