The day after a retired Bryan city councilman voiced his opposition to Brazos County commissioners approving a $9 million dollar economic development agreement, county officials respond to Mike Southerland’s assertion that the county just decided to make the offer.
Brazos County general counsel Bruce Erratt says they had been working for a year on the incentive involving a privately owned data center on the Texas A&M system’s RELLIS campus.
After meeting construction deadlines and assessed valuation requirements, the owner will have to pay $18 million in property taxes to get the maximum 50 percent reimbursement.
And that’s after meeting construction deadlines and assessed valuation requirements.
Erratt says the county has no additional infrastructure cost associated with the data center.
Click below for comments from Bruce Erratt, visiting with WTAW’s Bill Oliver.
Original story:
Brazos County commissioners without discussion Tuesday morning, unanimously approved an economic development agreement that gives up to $9 million dollars in future property tax revenue to the developer of a privately owned data center on the Texas A&M system’s RELLIS campus.
This follows the Bryan city council’s decision two months ago to give up to $16 million in future property tax revenue.
The only speaker during the county commission’s discussion was retired Bryan city councilman Mike Southerland asked commissioners to reconsider their decision, saying in part there was no reason to give money to a project that is already coming here.
Click below for comments from Mike Southerland during the May 11, 2021 Brazos County commission meeting.
Both the county and city governing boards require the owner to start construction by November 1 on what the council was told as a building that will be almost five times the size of a Walmart and will be the largest business by taxable value in Brazos County history.
Brazos County is requiring a minimum valuation of the real and personal property at $100 million dollars two years after construction is completed. That’s one year sooner than the city. Both agreements require a minimum valuation of $200 million within five years.
If requirements are met, the owner will be reimbursed up to 50 percent of property taxes over a ten year period.
Neither agreement requires a minimum payroll or number of employees. The owner told the Bryan council he projects 100 to 150 employees earning between $75,000 and $100,000 dollars.
In addition to the data center, the complex will have classrooms and offices on the 25 acres the private developers acquired from the A&M system through a ground lease.
Click HERE to read and download the Brazos County commission’s economic development agreement.
Click HERE to read and download the Bryan city council’s economic development agreement.
Click HERE to be directed to the RELLIS data center website.
