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Woods County approves several Freeport exemption applications; one gas‑and‑storage application disapproved
Summary
The Woods County commissioners approved multiple freeport exemption applications for local businesses including Baker Petrolite and Cargill, and voted to disapprove at least one gas-and-storage exemption application (Aspire Missouri) citing prior court guidance and legality concerns.
Woods County commissioners reviewed and acted on a series of Freeport (free port) exemption applications for value‑added and oil‑and‑gas businesses during their meeting.
The board approved a value‑added exemption application with a Freeport exemption amount recorded in the meeting materials; staff described the exemption amount for that application as $114,640.40. Baker Petrolite applied for a Freeport exemption of $124,009.17 and the board approved that application after board review. The board also approved a large application from Cargill Inc., with the Freeport amount recorded as $2,059,785.
Commissioners noted the county has historically not approved Freeport exemptions for certain oil‑and‑gas storage applicants because of prior legal rulings. The record shows Black Hills Service Company requested an exemption value of $10,886 but board members said that category involves gas and storage and that prior court decisions have excluded such storage from county Freeport exemptions; the board indicated those prior applications had not been approved in previous years.
A separate application from Aspire Missouri, described in the record as a gas‑and‑storage application requesting $324,182 toward a Freeport exemption, drew opposition from at least one commissioner. A motion to disapprove Aspire Missouri’s application was made and seconded; the board recorded affirmative votes and the application was disapproved.
Why it matters: Freeport exemptions reduce county property tax liability for inventory and qualifying goods and therefore can have significant fiscal effects. Commissioners said legal precedents and a recent Supreme Court matter have constrained approvals for gas‑and‑storage applicants.
The board did not provide a full written legal rationale for each decision at the meeting; commissioners said some specific applicants have been denied in past years because of court interpretation that excludes gas‑and‑storage from Freeport eligibility. Staff said they were following prior practice and expressed that paperwork for approved applicants "looks like it's good."
