Young County schedules hearings after residents oppose proposed tax abatement for 300 MW solar-and-battery project

The Young County Commissioners Court moved to schedule public hearings and pursue a draft tax abatement agreement for a proposed 300-megawatt solar project and a 200-megawatt battery component after prolonged public comment and a closed session. Commissioner Jimmy Wiley made the motion to schedule a reinvestment zone public hearing on Jan. 12 and to vote on a final tax payment (abatement) agreement at the regular court meeting on Jan. 26; Commissioner Craig seconded. The motion passed 4–0 with the presiding official abstaining.

Residents who spoke during the public-comment period urged the court to reject or reconsider abatements for large projects. Debbie Rhodes told commissioners she opposed abatements for the solar "site," saying inverters from China had been alleged to contain devices that could harm the grid and cause blackouts. "That's a big deal," Rhodes said, urging commissioners to look beyond dollars. Eddie McFadden asked whether commissioners would be comfortable having a data center or solar project on their property lines and said a countywide vote would oppose abatements. Another commenter said petitions opposing the projects included more than 1,400 signatures and suggested many in the community oppose both the solar farm and a proposed data center.

Court staff presented highlights of a draft tax abatement agreement the court agreed to share with the public ahead of the hearings. Under the draft, the project would receive a 10-year, 100% county property tax abatement replaced by pilot payments estimated at $731,713 per year for the solar portion and $411,200 per year for the battery component, producing roughly $11.14 million in pilot payments over 10 years. The draft calls for a $30,000 payment at execution to reimburse county soft costs and a $300,000 payment at commencement of construction to benefit volunteer fire departments and the sheriff's office. The agreement includes a 75-foot vegetative buffer around the project, reimbursements to the county and TxDOT for road repairs caused by construction, a $15,000 fee for assignment of the agreement, and a $300-per-day late fee for missed payments. Officials said commercial operations are targeted by Dec. 31, 2028.

Robert Peña, who is assisting with maps and site details, told the court final maps will be provided and confirmed a 75-foot vegetative buffer on all sides; additional buffer agreements have been negotiated with some individual landowners and will be incorporated into the final document. Court staff said the draft abatement also contains a floor guaranteeing a minimum pilot payment of $1,028,610 per year if the full project is not constructed as anticipated.

Some residents questioned whether the project would proceed without a tax abatement. A company representative told the court the tax abatement affects project economics relative to competitors and that he could not guarantee whether the project would move forward without it. That representative also stated the inverters would be German-made and panels manufactured in the United States; attendees raised questions about earlier public statements that could not confirm U.S. manufacturing.

The presiding official disclosed ownership interests in minerals under the proposed project via an entity that has executed a surface waiver with the developer and stated they have abstained from votes regarding the project. The official said the surface-waiver terms and any annual payments are a matter of public record.

The court framed the schedule as an opportunity for public input: a reinvestment-zone hearing set for Jan. 12, with a final vote on the tax abatement on Jan. 26. The court emphasized that the draft agreement had been distributed to commissioners and that maps and buffer details would be added before final consideration.

Next steps: the county will publish the draft agreement and maps for the Jan. 12 reinvestment-zone hearing and accept public comment ahead of the Jan. 26 vote.