Hood County delays vote on joining Foreign Trade Zone No. 39 after public debate

Hood County commissioners on July 15 debated whether to allow the county judge to sign a letter of support for inclusion in Foreign Trade Zone No. 39 and voted 3–2 to delay the decision until the next commissioners court. Supporters said a joint FTZ application could help attract investment and jobs; opponents warned of environmental impacts and urged more study.

Shay Hopkins, Granbury’s economic development professional, told the court she had asked the item be added quickly after Parker and Palo Pinto counties signed support letters for a joint FTZ application and said the measure is a federal tool that primarily affects timing of federal duties. "We're not agreeing to anything at this time," Hopkins said, adding that each company would be considered on its merits and that applicants could be required to submit economic-impact studies.

Several speakers urged caution. Jessica Hall told the court she opposed the letter "as of this time," cited concerns about data centers, battery storage and other large projects, and said an NDA signed by officials for a project called "Project Patriot" had reduced public transparency. Kim Burton asked the court to table the issue until commissioners had time to review a voluminous packet and understand implications, saying many on the court were unfamiliar with the materials presented earlier.

Supporters included Jim Jarrett and Chris Kaufman of the City of Granbury. Kaufman described intergovernmental cooperation and gave an example of a 280-acre tract purchased by a Canadian company in the local industrial park that he said could benefit from FTZ status. An email read into the record from Richard Hayes argued FTZ designation is a tool, "giving the county the ability, but not the requirement, to use it," and said it can be used to negotiate setbacks, landscaping and other mitigations.

Debate among commissioners focused on policy trade-offs and timing. One commissioner cited federal regulations (19 CFR 146 and a Homeland Security foreign-trade manual) and moved to postpone indefinitely to allow more time for review and constituent input. Other commissioners, backed by the county attorney’s legal assessment, argued a letter of support simply preserves the county’s ability to be considered by applicants and warned Hood County could be passed over if it failed to sign.

The court ultimately approved an amended motion — made by Commissioner Eagle and seconded by Commissioner Samuelson — to delay action until the next commissioners court; the presiding judge announced the ayes carried, 3–2. The transcript does not record a roll-call vote by name beyond the announced tally.

What happens next: the FTZ letter will be taken up again at the next scheduled commissioners court meeting; commissioners signaled competing priorities, with proponents urging prompt action to remain competitive and opponents seeking more review and public engagement.

Authorities and procedural notes: speakers referenced federal FTZ rules (19 CFR 146) and a Homeland Security manual; several speakers discussed the FTZ program's federal duty-deferral mechanics. The court’s action at this meeting was limited to delaying the letter of support; no commitment to approve any specific company or application was made.