Update: 1/19/1024- added audio of 2 prior meetings that answered citizen questions, one from June 14, 2023 and one from August 14, 2023, plus some screen caps from the Tax Abatement PDF.
Imagine a solar bank of panels in a *reinvestment zone* that overlaps several counties.
Here is the agenda. There will be a public hearing first about amendments to the tax abatement agreement between Somervell County and Yellow Viking and then the Somervell County Commissioners Court will vote on the amendments Looks like even though Somervell County already gave them a tax abatement for X number of years, they want more. (ie, more years that they don’t have to pay taxes to this county for a business)
June 12, 2014- Special Session re: Yellow Viking
Somervell County already had a meeting in which they approved to give a tax abatement to Yellow Viking.
August 14, 2023 PDF with tax abatement info (here also because this info may go away on the Somco website at some point. From the August 14 2023
Update: talked to one of the very knowledgeable commissioners, Wade Busch, about my questions. First, Yellow Viking has been trying to get this deal for some years. They have been creating solar farms in other parts of Texas, probably using govt grants to do it, and seeking tax abatements from any entities that are on the land they have in a given location (so they sought it from GRISD, for example, as well as Somervell County.) Somervell County originally kept turning them down and apparently they asked for 100% no tax for 10 years originally. Interesting to note that, according to the commissioner, Hood County voted to give Yellow Viking that deal. Somervell County negotiated a deal wherein the main office installation is on Somervell County land and the taxes are on a sliding scale over the years. I have to wonder if, since YV originally wanted 10 years of abatements but did not get that many from Somervell, if they are trying to get another bite of abatements by asking for another 2 years. I mean, what justification do they have to want to get that?
On solar panel installations. I’ve seen many of these in all kinds of locations and, as I understand it, the energy produced by YV goes back into the general electricity pool as opposed to, for example, being specific for some subdivision being built in that area (Unlike when you as a homeowner put solar panets at your home location and the energy produced is for you only unless you are charging excess back to a large energy company). It’s possible that operating one of these causes a *heat island* around the installation, and certainly, especially after the hot summer we just went through, not relishing the idea of anything that would make the heat worse on the planet. (Side note that I always wondered about the water usage from Comanche Peak)
Adding selected parts of the Tax Abatement agreement (PDF above) and reinvestment district
Hearing notice for Feb 12, 2024
COMMISSIONERS COURT
PUBLIC HEARING
OF SOMERVELL COUNTY
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:
PURSUANT TO THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A
PUBLIC HEARING OF THE COMMISSIONERS COURT OF SOMERVELL COUNTY, TEXAS
WILL BE HELD AT:
9:15 AM 12TH DAY OF FEBRUARY 2024
IN THE COMMISSIONERS COURTROOM IN THE SOMERVELL COUNTY COURTHOUSE
ANNEX,
102 NE VINE, GLEN ROSE, TX 76043
AT WHICH MEETING THE FOLLOWING SUBJECTS WILL BE DISCUSSED
AND THE FOLLOWING MATTERS ACTED UPON:
AGENDA REQUESTS
- COUNTY JUDGE: SOMERVELL COUNTY JUDGE:
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING AMENDMENTS TO TAX
ABATEMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN SOMERVELL COUNTY AND YELLOW
VIKING DEVELOPMENT ONE, LLC.
THE COMMISSIONERS COURT OF SOMERVELL COUNTY WILL CONDUCT
A PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE PURPOSE OF RECEIVING PUBLIC
COMMENT AND VOTING IN REGARDS TO AMENDMENTS TO THE
AGREEMENTS. THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS ARE AS FOLLOWS: - AGREEMENT DATED OCTOBER 29, 2021 WITH A COMPLETION DATE OF
DECEMBER 31, 2024 WILL BE AMENDED TO STATE A NEW COMPLETION
DATE OF ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 31, 2026. - AGREEMENT DATED OCTOBER 29, 2021 AND AGREEMENT DATED
AUGUST 14, 2023 WILL AMEND SECTION 12 OF THE AGREEMENT
PROVIDING THE INFORMATION TO COMPANY IS HEREBY REPLACED
WITH THE FOLLOWING:
NOTICE ADDRESS:
YELLOW VIKING DEVELOPMENT ONE, LLC.
NAME/TITLE: TOMOHIKO ONO/VICE PRESIDENT
1 NORTH LEXINGTON AVENUE, SUITE 1400
WHITE PLAINS, NY 10601
TELL: (914) 253-5515
EMAIL: RENEWABLES-GRID-SOLUTIONS@OSAKAUSA.COM
WITH A COPY TO (NOT TO SERVE AS NOTICE UNDER THIS AGREEMENT):
OSAKA GAS USA CORPORATION
1330 POST OAK BLVD., SUITE 1900
HOUSTON, TEXAS 77056
ATTENTION: LEGAL & COMPLIANCE OFFICE
EMAIL: LCO@OSAKAGASUSA.COM
WITH A COPY TO (NOT TO SERVE AS NOTICE UNDER THIS AGREEMENT):
SCOTT D. DEATHERAGE
S DEATHERAGE LAW, PLLC
6301 GASTON AVENUE
DALLAS, TEXAS 75241
(214) 356-0979
SCOTT@SDEATHERAGELAW.COM
- COUNTY JUDGE: SOMERVELL COUNTY JUDGE:
ADJOURN MEETING.
Other meetings about Yellow Viking
Oct 29, 2021 Consideration of Tax Abatement agreement with Yellow Viking Development, Solar Photovoltaic facility: estimated cost $70,000,000
Oct 6. 2022- Hood County had public hearing to designate approximately 4,078.22 acres of land in Southeast Hood County as a reinvestment zone for Yellow Viking Two Solar Farm Project
