Editor: Shannon Cottongame
June 1, 2023
The Hill County Commissioners Court met in a regular session Tuesday, May 23, and set public hearings on the creation of reinvestment zones for two more solar projects.
The court scheduled the hearings for Tuesday, June 27, during the regular meeting that will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the Hill County Courtroom of the courthouse in Hillsboro.
The largest project involves about 950 acres on the south side of Highway 22 between Hillsboro and Peoria and is being proposed by Leitsol Solar, LLC.
A smaller project would be located approximately five miles west of the city of Hillsboro off of Farm Road 309 and has been proposed by OCI Three W Solar, LLC.
Creation of a reinvestment zone is an initial step that must be taken by the court before it can consider a tax abatement agreement with a company.
In other action, the court approved radio agreements with two more entities. The court recently approved user agreements and fees for other agencies utilizing the county’s new 800 MHz public safety radio system.
An agreement was approved with Abbott Volunteer Fire Department Tuesday as more Hill County entities adopt the new radio system. A memorandum of understanding was also approved with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department allowing game wardens to access the system if needed.
The court also approved the county auditor’s financial report, which is the starting point for the annual work of drafting a budget for the coming fiscal year. The document outlines revenues and expenditures and compares them to projections that were made in the last budget process. County Judge Justin Lewis said that overall, the county did a good job with its projections last year.
The court’s next regularly scheduled meeting will be Tuesday, June 13, at 8:30 a.m. in the Hill County Courtroom of the courthouse.
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