Say ‘no’ to solar company’s request for tax abatement during Tuesday's SISD board meeting.

Since August last year the work to stop the county and school tax abatements for the solar facility proposed in Erath County has been a long journey.

First the County Commissioners unanimously denied the abatement and now on Tuesday we will be again asking the school board to deny the Chapter 313 tax limitation agreement too.

Chad Elms, one of the school board members, has publicly come out against the abatement and he feels it is time to vote and move on. Another member has been vocally opposed to the abatement since the beginning too.

No one I have personally spoken too, except one, is in favor of the tax abatements or the solar facility being built. The rural agricultural land in many of our counties is being gobbled up as an alarming rate by these solar companies as they quietly move in and try to take us all by surprise.

Now the tide is turning, and many are becoming more educated and aware of the risks these companies pose to our communities.

This solar industry is unregulated and there is only one law about decommissioning that doesn’t have much power. There is not much in the way of protections for the communities they are located in here in Texas or elsewhere.

To date there has not been one built without the Chapter 313 abatement, so we are hoping this will stop the building work and they will leave our land alone.

It will be unfortunate for the landowners who will not see the money they were promised from the project, but fortunate for all the neighbors and the community who will not be adversely impacted by the thoughtlessness of their neighbor.

We are asking you to join us at the SISD school board meeting at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 18, at the Bond Auditorium on Overhill Drive in Stephenville.

If you live in Erath County, this will affect us all, if you live in another county that has been affected by solar facilities then this your chance to voice your opinion too.

We hope to see you there.

Joanna Friebele,

Landowner and taxpayer,

Erath County