Commissioners Approve Tax Abatement for Proposed Solar Farm

SAN ANGELO, TX -- Tom Green County Commissioners Tuesday approved the framework for a tax abatement for a proposed solar farm in northern Tom Green County.  

Consultants have a plan for a reinvestment zone for a 1,500 acre solar farm on land owned by the Llano ISD located along U.S. 87 N between Grape Creek Rd and March Rd.  

With the tax abatement order, consultants will now attempt to sell the project to a solar farm company.

The abatement order calls for a 59 percent abatement of property taxes over ten years.  The abatement is an incentive for a solar company to construct the solar farm. The tiered abatement will generate $2.2 to $2.3 million in tax revenue over the ten year period then the farm would be taxed at full value.  Currently, the land is used for agriculture and has an tax exemption and would only generate about $175,000 in the same period.

County Judge Steve Floyd said tiered abatement will also reduce the chance that a solar company would sue the Tax Appraisal District because of estimating the value of the land once the solar farm is complete.  

Consultants told Commissioners the solar farm has a 30 year life span and that means the project would be taxed at 100 percent for the final 20 years of operation.  The 1,500 acre solar farm is estimated to be valued at $150 million for property tax purposes.

In other business, Commissioners approved purchasing an inmate transport bus.  The specially equipped bus will be ordered using a cooperative agreement with the Houston Galveston Area Council contract in the amount of $175,399.07.  The bus has to be ordered months in advance so it can be properly outfitted. The inmate transport bus should be delivered by Sept. 2019 before construction of the new Tom Green County Jail is completed in late 2019.  The bus will be used to transport inmates from the new jail outside the city limits on U.S. 67 by the Roy K. Robb center to the Courthouse.