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McKinney ISD trustees vote to reject LightOn JETI taxable-value limitation
Summary
After a public hearing and extended questions, the McKinney ISD Board of Trustees voted to not approve a JETI (taxable value limitation) application for LightOn Inc.; trustees cited potential loss of M&O revenue used for teacher pay and uncertainty about hold-harmless protections.
McKinney Independent School District trustees on June 29 voted to deny a JETI (Jobs Energy Technology and Innovation Act) taxable-value limitation application filed by LightOn Inc., rejecting the incentive package after a public hearing and board questions.
During the hearing, assistant superintendent Dennis Womack told trustees the Texas Comptroller had reviewed LightOn’s April 2026 application and issued a recommendation and a performance-bond amount; he said the comptroller ‘‘does recommend approval of the application’’ and set a performance bond of roughly $250,000. Consultant John Kroll, representing the applicant, described LightOn as a long-established Taiwanese company planning a roughly 650,000-square-foot advanced-manufacturing facility with more than 500 employees and a projected initial capital investment ‘‘a little north’’ of $300 million. Kroll said about half the jobs would be R&D positions and that average pay across the project would be ‘‘a little north of $120,000.’’
Trustees pressed presenters on the program’s effect on district funding formulas and whether other taxing entities would offer incentives. Several board members said their concern was the long-term loss of Maintenance & Operations (M&O) tax revenue that the district uses for teacher pay and operations. One trustee summarized the trade-off this way: while the jobs and investment are attractive, ‘‘to not have the M and O money which we use to pay our teachers, that’s something . . . that’s why I’m saying no.’’ After discussion, a motion to not approve the JETI application was moved, seconded, and carried by voice vote, effectively rejecting the district’s participation in the LightOn incentive.
LightOn representatives and district staff said the company continues to pursue related city and county incentive discussions and that the project team expects additional local coordination if it pursues the site further; John Kroll said the company would be at upcoming city council and county deliberations. The board’s action means McKinney ISD will not enter the tri-party agreement under the JETI program as proposed at this meeting.
