Chief appraiser asks county to help resolve Carranco Wind valuation lawsuit to protect local school funding

Jordan Alida, San Patricio County’s chief appraiser, told commissioners that Carranco Wind has sued the appraisal district seeking about a 30 percent reduction in its 2025 assessed value — roughly $60 million on an approximate $200 million valuation — and warned the dispute could materially affect local school financing.

Alida said the valuation affects how property tax rolls allocate value between interest & sinking (I&S) and maintenance & operations (M&O) levies and that two school districts — Mathis ISD and Skidmore‑Tynan ISD — are directly affected by the project’s valuation. He urged the court to consider sending a letter or otherwise communicating with the company to explore resolving the dispute outside of litigation to save public and private parties the cost of protracted court proceedings.

Commissioners asked whether the court’s attorney should handle outreach; the judge agreed staff would prepare a letter outlining the county’s concerns and the potential effect on school bond payments. No motion to take legal or financial action beyond preparing outreach was recorded in the meeting.

Alida characterized the issues as having direct budgetary consequences for the school districts and suggested a negotiated outcome would benefit the appraisal district, the county and the schools by avoiding litigation costs and uncertainty over tax calculations.

The court did not vote on a policy change but directed staff to draft the letter and coordinate with the county attorney if needed.