For years, residents of La Bota Ranch in Laredo, Texas, questioned why developers continued to control their homeowners’ associations while residents paid rising fees to maintain their community. A decade after homeowners began organising against the arrangement, the associations have taken ownership of the neighbourhood’s common areas, including its park, streets, ponds and guardhouse. According to the Laredo Morning Times’ October 26, 2026, report, which quotes longtime resident and Laredo City Council member Vanessa Perez, the transfer was completed on August 20, 2026, following years of litigation and settlement negotiations. The transfer followed years of disputes over rising fees, developer control and the management of the community’s shared property.
Rising fees prompted homeowners to organise
La Bota Ranch is a master-planned residential community in north Laredo, developed in the early 1990s. Its two homeowners’ associations oversee different sections of the neighbourhood and fund services such as private road maintenance and the upkeep of parks and other facilities.The dispute gained momentum in 2016, when homeowners saw substantial increases in their association dues. According to a July 2017 report by Laredo Morning Times, annual fees for the La Bota Ranch Owners Association rose from $1,328 in 2015 to $2,268 in 2016. Fees for the La Bota Property Owners Association increased from $1,651 to $2,600 over the same period.Residents questioned the increases and raised concerns about declining services, spending and their lack of representation on the association boards. The developers continued to control the boards, while homeowners argued that they should have a greater say in decisions affecting their properties and shared amenities. In June 2017, five residents filed a lawsuit against developer Albert F. Muller III and other individuals associated with the developer-controlled boards. The case sought accountability and greater homeowner representation in the management of the associations.
A jury sided with residents after years of litigation
The dispute continued for several years as homeowners challenged the developers’ control and sought changes to the associations’ governance. Residents also raised concerns about the boards’ financial decisions and their fiduciary responsibilities. In March 2022, a jury ruled in favour of the homeowners. According to KGNS and Laredo Morning Times, the jury found that the defendants had breached their fiduciary duties. The dispute involved concerns about fee increases and whether the developer-controlled boards had fulfilled their responsibilities to homeowners.In July 2022, Webb County Judge Joe Lopez ordered four board members, Albert Muller III, Albert Muller Jr., Virginia Muller and Greg Ebe, to be removed from their positions and prohibited them from directly or indirectly managing, supervising, directing or approving decisions made on behalf of either association. A new homeowner board was appointed on January 19, 2023. However, the change in board membership did not immediately resolve the dispute over control of the community’s land and common property. The associations continued working towards a settlement that would transfer ownership of the shared areas to the homeowners.
Dispute over nearby development added another challenge
While the governance dispute continued, residents also opposed a proposed warehouse near Muller Elementary School. Homeowners raised concerns about the compatibility of industrial development with the surrounding residential area. In 2024, Laredo adopted an ordinance restricting the parking or storage of certain large commercial vehicles near schools, parks and other specified locations, according to Perez’s account in the October 2026 report. The property owner subsequently challenged the city and Perez over the restriction. In November 2025, the city settled the dispute by purchasing the contested property.Separately, the associations filed another lawsuit against the developers in October 2024 involving governance, property ownership and related rights. Settlement agreements began in February 2026, initiating the transition towards homeowner control.
Homeowners take ownership of shared property
The final transfer marked a significant change for the community. On August 20, 2026, the associations completed the closing that transferred ownership of the common-area property to the homeowners’ associations. Perez, who has lived in La Bota Ranch since 2011 and was among the residents involved in the original legal fight, described the outcome as the culmination of a decade of work by homeowners, association board members and their attorneys.The property transferred includes the community centre, park, streets, soccer field, ponds, guardhouse and other common areas. The associations’ ownership gives the homeowner-controlled bodies responsibility for these shared assets, rather than leaving them under the previous developer-controlled arrangement.For La Bota Ranch homeowners, the August 2026 transfer marked the culmination of a decade-long effort to gain greater control over their community’s governance and shared property. What began with concerns about rising fees and representation ultimately led to years of litigation and a settlement that transferred ownership of the common areas to the homeowners’ associations.