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KDC tells Gregg County commissioners companies reported about $95 million in new investment and 177 jobs; Skeer recommended at 90% compliance
Summary
A Kilgore Development Corporation representative told Gregg County commissioners the six firms reviewed exceeded several investment and job commitments overall but recommended Skeer Products Inc. be acknowledged at 90% compliance after a $10.4 million reported investment and related job figures.
A representative from the Kilgore Development Corporation told the Gregg County Commissioners Court on March 10 that six companies subject to tax-abatement agreements were generally in compliance and that the county should acknowledge their compliance with one qualification for Skeer Products Inc.
The KDC representative said the companies’ total capital investment over and above their committed amounts was about $95 million and that the combined additional jobs over committed positions totaled 177. “The total amount that they invested of real and personal property was 10.4 million,” the KDC representative said of Skeer Products Inc., adding that the company also recorded an additional capital expenditure of roughly $3.7 million tied to robotics equipment and related manufacturing work that the presenter said accounted for about 44 jobs.
Why it matters: Tax-abatement compliance acknowledgments are routine but influence whether companies retain local tax incentives and whether local partners (such as cities and colleges listed in the packet) will be notified of recommended adjustments. The KDC presenter recommended acknowledging full compliance for most firms and adjusting Skeer’s compliance to 90% for the year under review.
The presenter highlighted two large facility projects in the county: Camfil USA’s new 420,000-square-foot tilt-wall facility in Synergy Park, which the representative said is operating and is planning a grand opening later in the summer, and KeepRight Refrigeration’s completed first phase (described as more than 472,000 square feet), with plans for phases two and three to bring the company’s space to over one million square feet within the next decade.
Commission discussion and outcome: Commissioners asked clarifying questions about Skeer’s performance and the need to notify the city and college partners about the recommended 90% acknowledgment. Commissioner Wingo moved to follow the KDC recommendation to acknowledge compliance for the six companies and to record Skeer at 90% for the year; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The court indicated staff would complete the required notifications.
Context: The presentation covered tax-abatement compliance and economic development performance — the sort of annual review local economic development organizations provide to county governing bodies to document whether incentive conditions are being met and to inform any administrative adjustments. The court’s action was procedural and limited to acknowledgement and any downstream notifications; no change to abatement agreements was recorded during the meeting.
