Chambers County Allocates ARPA Funds for Mobile Command Center, Approves Tower Procurement and Assigns Tax Abatement to Americold

Chambers County commissioners on Sept. 9 approved multiple procurement and economic development items, including ARPA-funded procurement for a replacement mobile command center, selection of a tower vendor for a new emergency-services site, and the assignment of a 2021 economic-development tax-abatement agreement to Americold Real Estate.

County staff presented a procurement plan for a replacement mobile command center and asked the court to budget $200,000 in ARPA funds to cover the quote, procurement and outfitting. Staff noted the county must obligate ARPA funds by Dec. 2026 and described the benefits of a newer, easier-to-deploy vehicle for law enforcement, EMS or fire command and for public-event coordination. "We would utilize this... for emergencies or localized events where we need to more easily be able to pull something that fits our needs," said a county emergency-services representative describing the command center’s intended uses. The court budgeted the requested $200,000 and authorized procurement activities by motion and voice vote.

In procurement for a 60-foot self-support tower for a new emergency services build on Airport Road, staff reported three vendor quotes and recommended the lowest responsible bidder; commissioners approved proceeding with the tower procurement and construction. The amount presented in the packet exceeded initial expectations and staff said the county had the budget available.

On economic development, staff reported the county’s 2021 tax-abatement agreement with BlackLine Cold Storage allows assignment with court consent. BlackLine has sold its facility to Americold, and the court approved assigning and signing the necessary resolution to transfer the abatement rights to Americold Real Estate.

All three items were approved by motions and voice votes during the meeting.