Public commenters urge action on industrial tax breaks and defend short-term rental rules

Freeport — Multiple public commenters used the May 18 City Council meeting to press officials on environmental and zoning issues.

Thomas Cool, who said he works with the Texas Campaign for the Environment, urged residents to sign a petition opposing large industrial tax breaks in Brazoria County that he said totaled $2.1 billion, including figures he cited for LNG ($1.1 billion), Dow Chemical ($500 million) and Phillips 66 ($208 million). Cool tied those tax breaks to job shortfalls and industrial incidents, including a 2022 LNG facility explosion and recent chlorine releases, and urged residents to "hit that QR code in the back" to sign the petition.

Diane McAlister (97 Dolphin) addressed a city short-term rental ordinance under consideration. She said she drafted the ordinance in 2021 after reviewing other cities and cited recent case law and statutory authority — referencing Draper v. City of Arlington and a Grapevine case — to argue Texas municipalities have authority under Chapter 211.004 of the Texas Local Government Code to regulate STRs to preserve residential neighborhood character. McAlister said the proposed 200-foot spacing rule mirrors distance limits used by other Texas cities and defended it as a lawful zoning measure.

Both speakers urged the council to act; the transcript records their statements in the public-comment portion of the meeting but does not show a formal council response adopting specific policy at that time.