Breckenridge Texan

By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

After a public hearing Monday morning, May 13, regarding amendments to the tax abatement agreement with La Casa Wind, LLC./NextEra Energy Resources, the Stephens County Commissioners Court voted the same way it did when it approved the original agreement — 4-1 in favor of the proposal.

County Judge Michael Roach talks with Matthew Johnson and Garrett Peters, representing NextEra, who were attending the meeting virtually via a Zoom video connection. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Once again, after listening to several citizens oppose the agreement in a sometimes contentious meeting, Commissioner David Fambro, who represents Precinct 1 — the precinct where the wind farm will be located — cast the only dissenting vote. Commissioners Mark McCullough, Will Warren and Eric O’Dell, as well as Stephens County Judge Michael Roach, voted in favor of the changes to the agreement.

Some of the changes in the amended agreement include:

• Moving the start date of the project from March 31, 2024, to June 1, 2024.
• Reducing the number of days prior to the commencement of construction that NextEra is required to submit to the Commissioners Court a listing of the County Roads to be used for the project. The original agreement required 180-days’ notice, and the amendment reduces that to 14 days.
• Increases the number of new full-time jobs in connection with the operation of the project either through direct employment by NextEra or through employment by an affiliate or subsidiary. The original agreement required at least one job, and the amendment requires at least two jobs.
• Increases the amount of charitable donations that NextEra must make to certain Stephens County charitable organization(s) designated by the Commissioners Court. The original agreement stipulated $50,000, and the amendment increases that amount to $75,000.

Matthew Johnson and Garrett Peters, representing NextEra, attended the meeting virtually via a Zoom video connection.

Steve Dempsey started out the public comments with a back-and-forth exchange with Roach and Johnson, often asking for more details or documentation for various aspects of the agreement. For example, Dempsey asked for a more detailed map of the wind turbine locations, with those that are considered alternate locations marked.

Zola George also asked about the specific locations of the planned wind turbines. The landowners are interested in those locations so that they can determine how close the wind turbines will be to their property lines and houses, as well as the distance between the turbines and the roads.

Jenny Brunner speaks to commissioners during the public hearing on Monday. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Jenny Brunner addressed the commissioners, asking them not to approve the amendment that reduces the number of days of notice that NextEra has to give the Commissioners Court before beginning construction on the roads to be used for the project. As mentioned above, the amendment reduces the notice timeframe from 180 days to 14 days. That adjustment was explained as being the result of the start-date for the project being pushed back.

“I just want to speak about the 14 days,” Brunner said to the commissioners. “It’s beyond belief to me, that we go from 180 days … to 14. As Steve and Zola said, this is our home. This is where we live. This has major impact on us. And every day that we don’t have a turbine, it’s a better day for us.”

In response to Peters saying that the tax abatement agreement between NextEra and Stephens County has taken longer than any other agreement he’s worked on in his entire career, Brunner said, “When NextEra stands there and says, ‘Well, gee whiz, you know, this agreement has taken longer than any other agreement. It’s atypical,’ you know what? So what. This is our lives, this is our home, this is our land. I don’t care what’s typical for other people. NextEra came in under the covers in the majority of these agreements, where people didn’t know what was going on. We were fortunate enough to have people that knew what was happening, so that we could come together and fight this thing. And I don’t want to see them be able to still control more and more, and come in and get this thing done faster. … We’re asking, please do not give them 14 days. Please make them work this out. Give us some time. Get us through the summer.”

After some additional comments from Dempsey and George and a brief recess, Roach addressed Brunner’s concerns about reducing the number of days notice that NextEra must give before beginning construction. The county judge said that the work that is scheduled to begin in June will be on FM 717 to ensure that the roads and bridges will be sturdy enough to handle the equipment needed to build the wind farm. However, he said, the actual construction of the wind farm is still on approximately the same schedule that it has been on since the original agreement was approved.

Then the commissioners court voted to approve the amendments to the tax abatement agreement.

Click here to read the original agreement, and click here to read the amendments that were approved on Monday.

Several citizens attended Monday’s meeting and listened to speakers as they voiced their opinions about the wind farm during a public hearing at the Stephens County Courthouse regarding amendments to the tax abatement agreement between Stephens County and La Casa Wind, LLC./NextEra Energy Resources. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Stephens County resident Robert Joe Jackson, a supporter of the La Casa Wind Farm, listens during the public hearing Monday morning regarding amendments to the tax abatement agreement with La Casa Wind, LLC./NextEra Energy Resources. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Cutline, top photo: Jenny Brunner addresses commissioners, asking them not to approve the amendment that reduces the number of days of notice that NextEra has to give the Commissioners Court before beginning work on the roads to be used for the project. Also pictured are Steve Dempsey, center, and Zola George, right, who also spoke against the agreement. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)