Residents tell Young County commissioners solar work has started; ask county not to grant tax breaks, and press to revisit RV plan at historic fort

At a meeting of the Young County Commissioners Court, residents raised three separate public-comment concerns: construction activity at a nearby solar project, poor county-road conditions, and a plan to add RV parking inside the historic fort compound.

A resident who identified himself in the public-comment period but did not give a full name told commissioners that, based on recent Treasury Department guidance he read, qualifying solar and wind projects must start before July 2026 and “substantially be completed … by December ’29,” and said he had observed heavy equipment and rock deliveries at a site next to his property. “I lost count until it was probably at least 15 or so. Loads of rock went in there,” he said, arguing that, since the speaker believes the developer has effectively begun the project, the county should not grant a tax discount and instead tax the property “for the whole amount each year just like you and I get taxed.”

The same resident asked whether an environmental-impact report for the project had been released. He said developers told him the report was finished but that the developer’s lawyers were reviewing whether it could be shared; he said he had not yet received a copy. “I asked for them to give me a copy of it, and they said they didn’t have a problem with giving me a copy of it, but they wanted their lawyers to make sure that they weren’t violating anything,” he said.

Another resident raised a separate infrastructure complaint about a county road he said is dangerously rutted and has drop-offs. He asked the county to inspect the road and fill ditches and said the surface is damaging his vehicles. “There are lots of drop offs … you could throw a body in, and you couldn’t find it,” he said, asking staff to visit the site and discuss possible repairs.

Bill Isham, who identified himself as a resident living at 249, objected to the county’s plan to locate RV parking inside the fort compound, saying the fort is a compact historic site listed with the state and federal registers and that campgrounds at other forts are sited across highways, out of sight and sound of historic structures. “I would like to see that that construction project cease and be revisited and rethought about,” Isham said, urging the county to consider the eight acres the county previously purchased across the highway as a possible alternative location. He said existing inner-circle hookups are “antiquated” and not adequate for modern motorhomes.

Commissioners did not take immediate action on any of the public comments. Several commissioners acknowledged the information and said staff would follow up. The meeting then proceeded to routine agenda items.