Regency at Esperanza sits in Kendall County Municipal Utility District #1. The MUD adds approximately 0.65 percentage points to your effective property tax rate — invisible in marketing materials, significant in your actual tax bill.
On a $600,000 home at Regency at Esperanza: base Kendall County tax without MUD = approximately $11,400/year. With Kendall County MUD #1: approximately $15,300/year. That's $3,900/year extra — $325/month — that exists solely because the home is in a MUD district.
55places lists no property tax data for Esperanza. The Toll Brothers sales center quotes rates without always clarifying the MUD component. This guide explains what the MUD is, why it exists, what it costs, and whether it ever goes away.
A Municipal Utility District (MUD) is a special-purpose government entity created under Texas law (Water Code Chapter 49) to finance infrastructure in areas that are not yet served by a city. When a developer builds a large planned community outside city limits, the city typically won't extend water lines, sewer systems, drainage infrastructure, and roads without being paid for them.
Instead of the developer funding all infrastructure costs upfront (which would dramatically increase home prices at launch), the developer forms a MUD. The MUD sells bonds to finance water lines, sewer systems, lift stations, drainage, and roads. Homeowners in the MUD repay those bonds over time through the MUD tax levy — which runs alongside, not instead of, regular property taxes.
This is why new master-planned communities in Texas often carry MUD taxes and older established neighborhoods don't. The infrastructure for older neighborhoods was financed differently or absorbed into city systems long ago.
The Esperanza master plan — including Regency at Esperanza (the Toll Brothers 55+ section) — was developed in an area north of Boerne that required new utility infrastructure. Kendall County MUD #1 was formed to finance that infrastructure.
The MUD issued bonds. The bonds are repaid by homeowners within the MUD through an annual tax levy. The levy rate is approximately 0.60–0.70% of appraised value, depending on the bond repayment schedule and outstanding debt. The rate will fluctuate slightly year to year but is unlikely to decline significantly until the bonds are paid off.
When buyers compare Kendall County to Bexar County, they often look at the base county rate and stop there. The MUD rate must be included to model actual cost.
| Tax Component | Bexar County (Hill Country Retreat area) | Kendall County (Boerne, non-MUD) | Kendall MUD #1 (Regency at Esperanza) |
|---|---|---|---|
| School district | 1.10–1.45% | 1.00–1.20% | 1.00–1.20% |
| County | 0.30–0.35% | 0.35–0.40% | 0.35–0.40% |
| City/Municipal | 0.50–0.58% | City of Boerne: 0.45–0.55% | City of Boerne: 0.45–0.55% |
| Hospital/Other | 0.26–0.30% | 0.10–0.20% | 0.10–0.20% |
| MUD tax | None | None | ~0.60–0.70% |
| Effective combined rate | 1.8–2.3% | 1.8–2.0% | 2.4–2.7% |
The MUD alone accounts for most of the difference between base Kendall County rates and Esperanza's effective rate. Without the MUD, Kendall County's base rate is actually slightly lower than Bexar. With the MUD, Esperanza becomes the highest-effective-rate community in the San Antonio 55+ market.
| Home Value | Tax Without MUD (1.9% effective) | MUD Add-On (0.65%) | Tax With MUD (2.55% effective) | Extra Annual Cost | Extra Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $500,000 | $9,500/yr | $3,250/yr | $12,750/yr | $3,250/yr | $271/mo |
| $600,000 | $11,400/yr | $3,900/yr | $15,300/yr | $3,900/yr | $325/mo |
| $700,000 | $13,300/yr | $4,550/yr | $17,850/yr | $4,550/yr | $379/mo |
| $800,000 | $15,200/yr | $5,200/yr | $20,400/yr | $5,200/yr | $433/mo |
These figures do not account for homestead exemptions, which reduce the taxable base. However, Kendall County's senior exemptions are substantially smaller than Bexar County's 2025 structure, so even with exemptions applied, the MUD penalty persists.
Buyers often anchor on monthly cost comparisons and underestimate what the MUD adds over their expected ownership horizon. On a $600,000 home with a 0.65% MUD rate:
As the appraised value grows, the absolute dollar amount of MUD tax grows with it (the rate is applied to the full appraised value with no senior exemption relief specific to the MUD portion). A home that appreciates from $600,000 to $750,000 over 10 years at 5% growth carries a proportionally higher MUD bill each year.
Over a 15-year ownership horizon at Regency at Esperanza, the MUD alone adds approximately $65,000–$80,000 in property taxes compared to a Bexar County home of similar value. This is before any comparison of other costs.
MUD tax disclosure is legally required in Texas — sellers must provide a MUD notice to buyers during the contract period. But the disclosure happens after the buyer is emotionally committed and negotiating details, not during the initial marketing or tour phase. By the time most buyers see the MUD disclosure, they've already fallen in love with the home and the Boerne location.
Competitor sites like 55places don't publish property tax data for Esperanza at all. Toll Brothers' marketing materials emphasize lifestyle and amenities. The MUD tax is not a secret — it's in the legal documents — but it's never in the headline.
Nova55Living publishes this because the math changes the decision. Not necessarily to disqualify Regency — the community delivers real value for buyers who choose it knowingly. But buying it without understanding the MUD cost is a material mistake.
In theory, yes. When a MUD's bonds are fully repaid, the levy can be reduced or eliminated. In practice, this takes decades for new districts, and developers sometimes issue additional bonds for subsequent infrastructure phases, extending the repayment timeline.
Additionally, some Texas MUDs are annexed into city limits over time, at which point the city assumes the infrastructure and the MUD is dissolved. For the Boerne/Esperanza area, annexation into the City of Boerne is possible but not certain, and the timeline is unpredictable.
Buyers should not underwrite a Regency at Esperanza purchase assuming the MUD tax will disappear. Model it as a permanent cost for planning purposes.