Mills County court rejects tax abatement for Blue Heron solar project in 3–2 vote

Mills County’s commissioners voted 3–2 on Dec. 29 to deny a proposed tax abatement for the Blue Heron Solar Project, rejecting a 35% pilot payment arrangement the applicant had offered and instead leaving the property subject to standard ad valorem taxation.

The decision followed more than two hours of public comment, presentations by project representatives and attorneys, and an extended legal discussion about whether the proposal met county guidelines requiring a net economic benefit of $10 million over the abatement period. The presiding judge moved for zero abatement; the motion was seconded by Commissioner Depp and passed with three votes in favor and two opposed.

Project representative Bill Pentec (presenting on behalf of Red River Clean Energy/Blue Heron) told the court the $267 million project ‘‘will generate $17,400,000 in tax revenues for Mills County’’ under earlier valuation scenarios and that the company had reduced its original 50% abatement request to 35%. Pentec also said the company would pay 100%…