At the Tunica County Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday, Aug. 4, board members discussed an agreement to accept Spring Cross to manage the Half Step solar project and expressed concern about long-term tax exemptions tied to renewable-energy incentives. The discussion noted that the county has granted substantial tax incentives to earlier renewable projects and questioned the net fiscal benefit to the county.

Why it matters: Supervisors said the county may be giving up significant assessed value for limited local job creation, and that repeated tax exemptions could reduce revenue available to schools, public safety and county services.

During the meeting, a supervisor who spoke at length (identified in the record as Supervisor (unnamed), Supervisor, Tunica County Board of Supervisors) criticized prior incentive agreements, saying the county had traded substantial taxable value for small numbers of local jobs. The speaker cited a recent reduction in assessed value tied to an earlier project and said, “we're losing all this revenue” as a result of exemptions. Tax assessor Norma Anderson (Tax Assessor, Tunica County) confirmed questions about assessed-value impacts and timing.

County counsel, Attorney Perry (County attorney), said the agreement submitted by the developer’s counsel had been received by the county and that the item was being spread across the minutes for the official record; he noted the agreement was dated April 2025 and had been under review by the Mississippi Development Authority.

Speakers pressed two technical points repeatedly: whether the project met the state window for an eligible renewable-energy exemption (the transcript records a reference to a state rule saying projects must begin initial construction on or after 07/01/2022 and no later than 12/31/2024 and that a board authorization must have occurred before 07/01/2023) and whether construction had actually begun. County staff indicated they believed no construction had started on this project to date.

No formal vote to approve or deny incentives was taken. The board clerk recorded the discussion in the minutes and the item was entered in the minutes for the record; county counsel confirmed there was no action required at this meeting.

What’s next: Supervisors suggested negotiating stricter community benefit terms on future agreements and asked staff to ensure appropriate county protections and clearer fiscal estimates before bringing similar incentive agreements back for an action vote. The transcript does not show a subsequent deadline or specific follow-up date for negotiation.