In most Highland Lakes golf communities, the course belongs to a club and the club sets its own dues. In Meadowlakes, the course belongs to the city. The City of Meadowlakes bought Hidden Falls Golf Club in 2008. The private streets and parks belong to a separate body, the Meadowlakes Property Owners Association. That split explains three things about owning a home there: a September tax headline that sounds worse than it is, a recreation subsidy that grew this year, and a resident golf discount smaller than most buyers would guess.
Why a 7.98 Percent Rate Increase Isn't a 7.98 Percent Bill
Meadowlakes City Council adopted its 2026-27 budget on September 15, 2026, and DailyTrib reported the headline figure. The city property tax rate went from $0.2456 to $0.2652 per $100 of valuation, a 7.98 percent increase that took effect with the fiscal year on October 1.
Values went the other way. According to the same report, the Meadowlakes median home value dropped from $459,760 in 2025 to $438,760 in 2026, down 4.59 percent. Run the median through both years and the math looks like this:
- At the 2025 rate, a $459,760 home carried a city levy of about $1,129 before exemptions.
- At the 2026 rate, a $438,760 home carries about $1,164 before exemptions.
- That works out to roughly $35 more for the year on the city line.
The citywide numbers tell the same story. The new rate is expected to bring in $38,292 more in property tax than last year's budget, a 3.5 percent increase, and $7,843 of that comes from new property added to the roll. Most of the rate increase makes up for lower values. The rest adds a modest amount of new revenue. DailyTrib also noted that individual bills will depend on each property's value and exemptions, so a home that held its value will see a bigger change than the median one.
The city line is also a small share of the total. Burnet Central Appraisal District's 2026 rate schedule lists Burnet County at $0.3541 combined, Marble Falls ISD at $0.8805, and the Central Texas groundwater district at $0.0057, next to the city's $0.2652. Those four add up to $1.5055 per $100. That total leaves out an emergency services district rate, and Burnet County has several ESDs with different rates, so the full figure for any one parcel depends on which district it falls in.
Where the New Money Goes
The budget pairs the rate increase with a bigger subsidy for recreation. The general fund will send $225,000 to the Recreation Fund in 2026-27, up from $97,250 budgeted the year before. For scale, the adopted budget projects $647,148 in general fund property tax revenue. The recreation transfer equals about a third of that.
The Recreation Fund's five-year schedule shows why the transfer grew.
| Fiscal year | Revenue and transfers | Expenditures and transfers | Surplus or deficit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $1,127,925 | $1,005,200 | $122,725 |
| 2022 | $975,578 | $962,556 | $13,022 |
| 2023 | $1,063,583 | $1,148,038 | ($84,455) |
| 2024 | $1,064,616 | $998,313 | $66,304 |
| 2025 | $1,063,903 | $1,024,006 | $39,898 |
| 2026 estimate | $1,091,319 | $1,168,468 | ($77,148) |
| 2027 budget | $1,129,000 | $1,150,610 | ($21,610) |
The 2027 line already counts the $225,000 transfer as revenue, and it still shows a $21,610 shortfall to be covered from reserves. Golf operations are budgeted to bring in $904,000, while Recreation operating expenses come to $1,063,358, and $730,607 of that is employee costs. The course covers most of its own costs, and the city budget covers the rest.
For a buyer, this means the operating cost of the golf course is shared by every property taxpayer in the city, including owners who never play. The amount is set each September in a council budget vote, not by a club board.
What a Resident Gets Back at Hidden Falls
The return shows up in membership pricing. Hidden Falls posts separate resident and nonresident rates for each annual tier.
| Annual membership | Resident | Nonresident | Resident savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single, no cart | $1,514 | $1,665 | $151 |
| Couple, no cart | $2,018 | $2,219 | $201 |
| Family, no cart | $2,774 | $3,052 | $278 |
| Single, private cart trail | $2,174 | $2,325 | $151 |
| Family, rental cart | $3,962 | $4,372 | $410 |
| Individual Club Pass | $135 | $150 | $15 |
On the no-cart tiers, the resident discount is about 9 percent. Club Pass holders pay the same $35 for 18 holes or $25 for 9 whether or not they live in Meadowlakes, and the round includes a half cart and range balls. Daily play costs $48 riding on weekdays and $57 on weekends and holidays, or $32 and $37 walking. The posted daily rates don't show a separate resident price.
So a resident household with a family membership saves a few hundred dollars a year compared with a member from Marble Falls. A resident household that doesn't golf still shares the course's costs through the city budget and gets no membership discount in return. The club's membership year runs October 1 through September 30, the same as the city's fiscal year, so rate changes and budget decisions tend to arrive together.
The Clubhouse Is Paid for Separately
The construction at 220 Meadowlakes Drive does not come out of the Recreation Fund. Meadowlakes voters approved a $7.5 million bond on November 7, 2023, to fund the new clubhouse and utility system improvements. DailyTrib's September 10 update reported that the bond is being repaid through property taxes and utility revenue, and that the average household is expected to pay about $100 more per year toward it. The 2026-27 budget includes $488,650 in debt service on the city's 2024 certificates of obligation, $160,000 in principal and $328,650 in interest.
According to City Manager William De Roos, quoted in that update, the second of three major foundation pours is done and the structural steel is up. The third pour, for the pool, has not yet been scheduled. The new pool will be about 1,000 square feet larger than the old one, and the complex will include a pro shop, restaurant and bar, gym, and meeting rooms. Completion is on schedule for fall 2027. DailyTrib's March report said a temporary pro shop opened so golf could continue during demolition.
That puts a Meadowlakes owner on two separate golf-related cost tracks. The bond payment is a fixed debt obligation. The operating subsidy can rise or fall with each year's budget. When the new restaurant, bar, and pool open, the Recreation Fund's costs and revenues will both change, and the 2027-28 budget will be the first to show the result.
Three Layers, Three Decision-Makers
Each layer of cost has its own governing body:
- City of Meadowlakes: sets the city tax rate, the Recreation Fund transfer, and the Hidden Falls rate structure, and owns the course and clubhouse.
- Meadowlakes Property Owners Association: maintains about 11 miles of private streets, staffs the gate 24/7, keeps up the neighborhood parks, and leases a summer pool for residents, according to the POA's page. The last confirmed assessment was $500 per lot, up from $400 and effective September 1, 2024. The POA's August 2026 minutes record adoption of a new budget but don't state a new assessment in readable form, so the 2026 amount is unconfirmed.
- Overlapping taxing units: Burnet County, Marble Falls ISD, the groundwater district, and an ESD set their own rates, which make up the larger share of the bill.
Comparing Meadowlakes with a community where golf runs through private club dues takes three separate cost lines, and only one of them involves golf membership.
Timing gives buyers some room to work these questions through. The Highland Lakes Association of Realtors' August 2026 MLS Quick Stats show a Burnet County median sale price of $365,000, down 10.4 percent from a year earlier, with 9.6 months of inventory and 143 days on market, up 15 days. Those are county figures, not Meadowlakes-only figures. They describe a slower market in which buyers have time to read a city budget before making an offer.
If you're weighing Meadowlakes against other Highland Lakes golf communities and want the city, POA, and club costs laid out side by side for a specific address, Kale Stephens can go through the numbers with you before you write an offer. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
