The Hill County Commissioners Court discussed the future of the county’s tax abatement guidelines during a meeting held Tuesday, October 27.
In April, the court rescinded the document that was guiding how the county considered granting tax abatements to companies. At that time, County Judge Shane Brassell said that the document needed to be revised based on citizen feedback and concerns about the amount of large-scale development in the county.
Without any guidelines in place, the county has not been in a position to enter into tax abatement negotiations with any company.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Brassell said that the state wants counties to have the guidelines in place. “I know everybody’s mind is wrapped around data centers right now, but if anyone else wanted to come to Hill County — a manufacturing facility or anything — and wanted to seek an abatement, they can’t until we get (guidelines) in place,” he said.
Brassell presented examples of other counties’ guidelines to commissioners as a starting point for the discussion.
He said that the previous abatement guidelines were narrowly targeted to green energy projects, which were the main source of development when they were first put in place, and that hamstrings the county in other areas.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Jim Holcomb said that as the county grows, other industries will look at locating here. “We don’t need to choke ourselves out from these opportunities by making these so restrictive that they can’t operate under them,” he said. “At the same time, we have to protect our citizens, safety, environment and all the things that go with it.”
Precinct 3 Commissioner Martin Dudik said that the goal is to have companies approach the county rather than just coming in and building without notice, but the proposals can still be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Brassell agreed, noting that abatement rules were initially used to attract business, but he said that process is working backwards with the current level of growth in our area.
“Now, you have a project come in and they tell you, ‘we’re coming regardless of what you do,'” he said. “If your abatement guidelines are too stringent, they aren’t even going to talk to you — they’re going to build the project no matter what.” He added that having guidelines invites a company to approach the county, and the court can decide on any incentives project by project. “Otherwise, you don’t get any conversation,” he said.
After reviewing other counties’ guidelines, the court agreed to use Ellis County’s model as a starting point while making amendments to fit Hill County’s needs. The document will be sent to outside economic development counsel for review.
The court approved an agreement with Granicus, LLC for software that will help the county fulfill the numerous, complex open records requests it has been receiving.
The annual cost is $11,660, although that number could go up if the county exceeds the request threshold in a year.
The software will coordinate deadlines and workflow, as many requests require documents to be produced by multiple county offices.
Commissioners approved a three-year financing agreement with Motorola to upgrade portable public safety radios for the sheriff’s office and county constables.
Emergency Management Coordinator Chris Jackson told the court that the county has a unique opportunity to complete the upgrade for a total cost of around $500,000 thanks to a rare discount. The original estimate was around $800,000.
The payments will begin in the next budget year and come to $167,289 annually. The state-compliant radios will come with a five-year warranty.
The court approved utilizing $200,000 in fiscal year 2026 funds to replace a 60-foot bridge on HCR 3110S in Precinct 3.
A contract with GovWell was approved to modernize permitting and applications software in the Development Services Department, which handles applications for on-site sewage facilities, subdivisions and other requests. The new system will improve the system for both county employees and citizens, allowing them to complete certain actions online and check the status of applications. The cost is $40,000 for the initial setup and $25,000 annually.
Commissioners also approved multiple routine business items, including an agreement with Anco Insurance for employee benefits, a financing contract for previously approved Development Services Department equipment, and advertising to sell a 2009 belly dump trailer deemed surplus material in Precinct 1.
The court’s next regular meeting is Tuesday, November 10, at 8:30 a.m. at the Hill County Courthouse.
