Commissioners approve non‑opposition for Corvo’s foreign trade zone pilot, say county will be held whole

Collin County Commissioner’s Court voted unanimously to provide a non‑opposition letter for Corvo’s application to be part of Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) No. 39 after staff and Corvo representatives explained the pilot agreement and tax protections.

Russell Schauffner, who presented the item for county staff, said the proposed arrangement would be a pilot payment‑in‑lieu-of-taxes agreement intended to keep county taxpayers "held harmless" for any ad valorem tax effects on inventory moving through the FTZ. "Collin County taxpayers will be held harmless," Schauffner said, describing the pilot as a mechanism to ensure the county receives a payment in lieu of taxes on tangible personal property that otherwise might be exempt under federal FTZ rules.

An attorney representing Corvo (identified only as Chris) explained to the court how the federal foreign trade zone framework allows certain imported inventory to transit without customs duties and how the pilot agreement preserves local taxing entities’ revenue by calculating and remitting an equivalent payment.

Commissioners asked whether the pilot shifts the tax burden to other taxpayers; staff and Corvo counsel said the agreement is designed to make the county whole and to avoid increasing real property tax burdens for other taxpayers. The county is pursuing agreements with other local taxing entities (Collin College, Plano ISD, City of Richardson) as part of the coordinated approach.

The court recorded a 5–0 vote to provide the requested non‑opposition letter for Corvo’s FTZ subzone under FTZ No. 39. Staff noted that approval from other taxing jurisdictions is needed before the federal process proceeds smoothly.

Next steps: Staff will finalize and share the county's non‑opposition letter and coordinate with the other affected taxing entities, and Corvo and counsel will continue federal submission steps.