Council starts process for Mammoth Grazing Lands solar project; public questions and cautions on studies and tax terms

The Pulaski County Council voted to adopt a preliminary resolution to begin the process that could lead to an economic revitalization area and possible tax abatement for Doral Renewables' Mammoth Grazing Lands solar project.

County staff said adoption of the preliminary resolution (Resolution No. 2025-10) triggers next steps — payment for third-party tax and economic-impact studies, a review by the county economic development commission (including at least one public session and one executive session), publication of a legal notice and a council public hearing. The council scheduled the public hearing for the September meeting to allow time for studies and commission review.

Nathan, the county CDC/economic-development director, told the council the preliminary resolution does not guarantee an abatement or designation; “adoption of this preliminary resolution in no way guarantees that the land in question will receive the designation or that the applicant will receive any assessed value deduction,” he said. Nathan also said the county will ensure an independent study is completed and that staff will draft a confirmatory resolution for council consideration after public hearings.

Doral Renewables representatives described the project as a 945-megawatt development that has been in planning for roughly three years and said they recently advanced a MISO interconnection step for the project. Michelle Friess, director of development for Doral Renewables, told the council the presentation was “step 0” and said, “Today's vote is a vote to start the conversation.”

Councilors and members of the public pressed for safeguards and details. Nathan said he plans to draft a short agreement requiring payment for Baker Tilly or similar third-party studies up front so the county is not left responsible if the Economic Development Agreement is not executed. He also advised the council that recent state legislation (discussed in the meeting as Senate Bill 1 / SEA-one) has altered county income-tax structures and will reduce county revenue under certain scenarios, which makes careful analysis of any abatement particularly important.

Several public commenters urged caution and asked for more local data. One resident asked the council to leverage experience in neighboring Stark County to understand developer performance and payments to landowners; another resident who owns land in Stark County said her payments exceeded expectations. A Doral representative responded to questions about operations and batteries, saying Mammoth North in Stark County is operating and selling power and that “there is no need for battery storage to operate a solar project.”

The council voted to start the preliminary process by adopting Resolution No. 2025-10; the vote was recorded by voice and included multiple nays in the transcript excerpt. County staff will arrange the third-party studies and public-notice processes required by statute and return findings to the council and the economic-development commission for further recommendation and a final council decision in September.