WC Texas News

In a 3-2 vote, the Brown County Commissioners Court on Monday rejected a proposal to create a reinvestment zone that would allow an energy company to receive tax abatements for a large solar farm of more than 2,000 acres.

There was no discussion by commissioners before the vote. If the reinvestment zone had been approved, the commissioners would have then voted on whether to grant tax so-called Section 313 abatements to energy company IP Radian.

Brown County residents recently presented the county's commissioners court with over 1,800 signatures of those opposed to a Chapter 313 tax abatement for the Radian Solar project, WC Texas News previously reported. Jeff Tucker, a citizen activist opposing the solar project, previously told the WC Texas News that, "the data shows an overwhelming amount of people are against the abatement and the aggregate data shows that the people in the county do not want it to happen."

A company representative said it re-evaluate plans for the solar project, KTAB/KRBC reported.

The project is likely to continue but without tax breaks, according to Judge Paul Lilly, the story said.

“I believe that they’re probably going to go ahead and build at least some sort of solar facility out there,” Lilly said. “And more power to them, I’d like to see that. Just don’t ask the government to subsidize.”

Prior to Monday's meeting, Brown County Judge Paul Lilly issued a press release announcing that the meeting would be moved to a larger venue in anticipation to facilitate a larger crowd engaging on the public hearing related to the controversial tax abatement issue. Lilly used his statement to also encourage county citizens to attend and ask tough questions of the efficacy of the tax abatements.

A company representative said at Monday’s meeting that the county would receive $9.2 million in tax revenue from the project over 35 years. Brookesmith Independent School District would receive $16.2 million, he said.

Brookesmith ISD Superintendent Steve Mickelson spoke in favor of the tax abatements Monday.

“Little districts like ours don’t get opportunities like this very often,” he told the commissioner’s court.

A group called Texas Landowners Opposing Wind opposed the tax abatements. It said approving the abatements would lead to an “influx” of other solar farms to the county, destroying the landscape.

“These solar project areas will be clear cut of all native trees and other vegetation,” the group wrote. “For the following 35 to 50 years, this area will be maintained to minimize growth of vegetation. Native habitat will be destroyed for deer, turkey, dove, quail and all other forms of native wildlife and will force the wildlife off this land, thus increasing competition in surrounding areas for already scarce life-sustaining resources.”

Bill Peacock, policy director of the Energy Alliance, is critical of Section 313 tax abatements that are often provided to alternative energy companies.

“313 abatements overall take money from average taxpayers and give it to big corporations so they end up subsidizing big corporations,” Peacock told the Austin News. “What big corporations are not paying in taxes, average Texans are.”