Mills County reviews new tax-abatement guidelines, adds road-use, bond and job-reporting language

County officials on Monday discussed proposed updates to Mills County’s tax‑abatement guidelines under Chapter 312 of the Texas Tax Code, including new requirements for road‑use agreements, a possible bond to secure removal of energy facilities, and annual job‑creation certifications.

The guidelines and criteria draft was presented by Jeff Allen, who described how the county can define job requirements and include penalties for failing to meet promises. Allen said the draft currently defines a full‑time employee as someone who “works 2,080 hours in Mills County,” and that the competitive market wage is a defined term that can be set by commissioners or established through industry analysis and “not less than essentially $15 an hour.”

The presentation emphasized flexibility in the guidelines for different project types. Allen…