Committee backs resolution to let Ozarks Electric pursue tax‑abatement conduit financing; judge will move next steps to full court

Washington County27s Services Committee on Oct. 28 voted to send to the full quorum court a resolution supporting Ozarks Electric and Ozarks Go as they pursue a county conduit sale‑leaseback and tax‑abatement process for specified infrastructure projects.

The committee27s action does not itself authorize tax abatement or issue bonds; it instructs the county judge to proceed with the legal steps required under state law if he chooses to do so. Michelle Allgood, attorney for Ozarks, described the process as a statutory conduit sale‑leaseback: the cooperative would finance and construct specified assets, the county would technically hold title for property‑tax reporting, and the cooperative would repay the financing; the county would not guarantee the bonds. Allgood said, "that is what you see and, a couple of things to make sure, we will build it, finance it. We technically own it.22

Azimuth and scope of the proposal: Ozarks…