Two Harvest homes are each assessed at $500,000. Both have Argyle addresses off FM 407, both have the same HOA, and both get the same county services. Why can one owner's 2026 property tax bill come in about $2,250 higher? Neither the school district nor the builder accounts for it. The cause is a single line on the bill, the Belmont Fresh Water Supply District, and Harvest is split between two of them.
For tax year 2026, Belmont FWSD No. 1 adopted a total rate of $0.53 per $100 of assessed value. Belmont FWSD No. 2 adopted $0.98. On $500,000 of value, that 45-cent gap comes to $2,250 a year. Most buyers comparing Harvest homes look first at the school district. On the tax bill, the water district matters more.
Where the Gap Sits in the Stack
Harvest sits in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Northlake and Argyle, and the HOA's district overview notes that no city taxes are collected in an ETJ. That leaves a short stack, and every rate in it is a 2026 adopted rate from the Denton County Truth in Taxation summary.
| Taxing unit | 2026 adopted rate per $100 |
|---|---|
| Argyle ISD | $1.1558 |
| Northwest ISD | $1.0638 |
| Denton County | $0.183394 |
| Denton County ESD No. 1 | $0.06 |
| Denton County ESD No. 2 | $0.10 |
| Belmont FWSD No. 1 | $0.53 |
| Belmont FWSD No. 2 | $0.98 |
Harvest homes fall in either Argyle ISD or Northwest ISD, so the community has four possible combinations. The two school rates differ by about 9 cents per $100, and the two Belmont districts differ by 45 cents. Harvest Explained, an independent resident-built calculator, includes both emergency services districts in the Harvest stack. On that basis, the combined rate before exemptions runs from about $1.94 per $100 with Northwest ISD and FWSD No. 1 up to about $2.48 with Argyle ISD and FWSD No. 2.
The same guide says District 1 generally serves the area west of Harvest Way and District 2 the area east of it. Treat that as a starting point. Each district's official map page sends readers who can't find their address to the other district, which shows how easy it is to assume the wrong one.
Why One District Costs Nearly Twice the Other
The gap follows each district's debt measured against the taxable property that repays it.
FWSD No. 1 is the larger borrower. Its audit for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2026, reports $93,515,000 in bonds outstanding. That debt is spread across an adjusted taxable valuation of $1,537,581,460 for the 2025 tax year. A debt service rate of $0.43 per $100 produced a levy of $6,611,600.
FWSD No. 2 owes less, with $50,945,000 outstanding at the same fiscal year-end. Its 2025 adjusted taxable valuation was $388,234,142, about a quarter of District 1's base. Covering its payments took a debt service rate of $0.7975 per $100.
Compare debt with taxable value and the difference is clear. District 1's bonds equal roughly 6 percent of its 2025 tax base, while District 2's equal roughly 13 percent. A homeowner in District 2 carries about twice the debt per dollar of home value, so the rate is roughly twice as high.
The two districts also share costs on some projects. Under a joint road contract signed in 2014 and amended since, each district pays its proportionate share of building, operating and maintaining the joint road facilities, under a 50-year term. Harvest's main roads are partly a shared obligation. What differs is the size of the tax base each district has to divide its share across.
One Rate Has Fallen, the Other Has Held
The county's five-year history shows the two districts on different paths.
- FWSD No. 1: $0.85 in 2022, $0.73 in 2023, $0.60 in 2024, then $0.53 in both 2025 and 2026.
- FWSD No. 2: $1.00 in 2022 and 2023, then $0.98 in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
District 1's own site lists a 2025 total of $0.98, but its 2025 components add up to $0.53, the same figure the county table shows. District 1's rate held at $0.53 in both 2025 and 2026.
The audits also show what each district did with its debt last year. District 1 paid down $3,525,000 of principal and issued nothing new. District 2 retired $1,090,000 and added $10,280,000 in new bonds. Its Series 2025 issues mature through 2050. District 1's payment schedule runs through fiscal 2049.
Neither district is done borrowing. District 1 still has $38,790,000 in authorized but unissued utility bonds and $57,420,000 for roads. District 2 has $9,645,000 for utilities and $30,585,000 for roads. A rate depends each year on the tax base, debt payments and available funds. District 1's own financial page says its board sets the rate on exactly that basis, which means any new bond issue enters the next year's math.
Why Old Harvest Tax Numbers Keep Showing Up
A buyer researching Harvest will find figures that were accurate once and are out of date now.
Hillwood's community page still gives Harvest's total rate as a range of $2.09 to $2.482 per $100. The top of that range is close to today's highest combination. The bottom isn't, because District 1's rate has dropped since that page was written. Older HOA material describes a District 1 rate of $1.00 per $100 and a Public Improvement District assessment of $0.21 per $100.
That PID no longer exists. On October 10, 2024, the Northlake Town Council voted 7 to 0 to approve Resolution No. 24-73, dissolving Northlake Public Improvement District No. 1. A tax estimate that still includes a PID line is built on old information.
HOA dues are billed separately from property tax. For 2026, most single-family Harvest homes pay $2,070 a year, billed in two installments of $1,035. Townside homes, duplexes and townhomes pay more for added services, according to the HOA's 2026 dues schedule.
Checking the District for a Specific Address
The district disclosure arrives during the transaction. Belmont FWSD No. 2 posts its Notice to Purchaser of Special Taxing or Assessment District, which gives the current rate and how much debt the district has issued. It also states plainly what the district's infrastructure costs are separate from:
"The cost of District facilities is not included in the purchase price of your property."
The same form advises buyers that the district sets its tax rate each year and that the figures can change. The buyer acknowledges receiving it at or before signing a binding contract, or at closing. If the notice first shows up near the end of the deal, there's little time left to compare homes by district.
To confirm the district for a specific Harvest address before writing an offer:
- Check the FWSD No. 1 district map and the FWSD No. 2 district map to see which one includes the address.
- Pull the property's current record on the Denton County tax site, which lists every taxing unit on the bill.
- Compare those units against the county's adopted-rate table to calculate the full 2026 rate for that property.
This comes at a useful time. District 1's financial page says its taxes are due October 1 or when billed and generally become delinquent after January 31. Homes changing hands this fall are the first to carry 2026 bills at these rates. This is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice, so please confirm the details of your own purchase with your title company, tax professional or attorney.
Questions That Come Up Often
Does Harvest pay a city property tax? Harvest sits in the ETJ of Northlake and Argyle, and no city taxes are collected in an ETJ. District 2's purchaser notice says the district lies wholly or partly in the Town of Argyle's ETJ.
Could Harvest be annexed and the districts dissolved? Both districts' development agreements protect them from full-purpose annexation until certain conditions are met. District 1's agreement can run until September 27, 2037, at the latest, and District 2's until May 1, 2034, at the latest. District 2's notice adds that Texas law governs whether a district is dissolved if a town annexes it.
Who provides water service? District 1's development agreement makes the town the sole retail water and wastewater provider in the district, at the same rates other town customers pay. The HOA's district overview identifies that provider as the Town of Northlake, which handles water facilities maintenance and billing.
If you're comparing Harvest homes on different sides of the district line, or pricing a Harvest listing for buyers who will run these numbers themselves, Betsy Daniel can put each address's full tax stack next to the homes you're considering. Schedule a consultation, and we'll review the district details before you write an offer.
