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Commissioners approve Reinvestment Zone No. 21 for proposed data center after residents voice concerns
Summary
Hill County commissioners approved creating Reinvestment Zone No. 21 to enable tax abatement agreements for a proposed data center after a public hearing in which multiple residents raised concerns; the court held a related executive session under state law and announced no action would result from it.
County Judge Shane Brassell and the Hill County Commissioners on Feb. 10 approved creation of County Reinvestment Zone No. 21, a designation intended to allow tax abatement agreements for a proposed data center project.
The decision followed a public hearing under Subchapter C, Chapter 312 of the Texas Property Tax Code in which several residents expressed concerns about the data center project. Speakers who registered concerns included Amy Teal, Jerry Shaffer, Janelle Cunningham, Jackie King, Edith Corbitt, Debbie Gregory, Ralph Porter and Melissa Autrey. The minutes record those individuals as raising objections or questions but do not include detailed testimony or responses from county staff in the public record.
Commissioner Martin Lake moved to create and designate Reinvestment Zone No. 21; Commissioner Scotty Hawkins seconded the motion. County Judge Shane Brassell and all commissioners voted "Aye," and the court recorded the approval as Court Order #2026-5047.
Before and after the public hearing, the court met in a closed executive session under Texas Government Code §551.087 to deliberate regarding commercial or financial information related to a business prospect tied to the data center and potential financial incentives. At the start of the executive session the presiding officer said, "The Hill County Commissioners Court is now in executive session On FEBRUARY 10, 2026." At the conclusion the presiding officer announced, "This executive session ended at 10:30 A.M. FEBRUARY 10, 2026." The minutes explicitly state that "no action will be taken as a result of Executive Session."
The minutes also record that the court earlier set a public hearing related to speed-limit signage and handled routine consent items in the same session. The record does not include the terms of any tax abatement agreement, specific incentive amounts, or a project developer name beyond references in the tax-abatement compliance letters and the generic "Data Center" project description. Those details were not specified in the minutes.
