Resident asks Henry County Commission to ask court to set aside Beavers Tail Solar tax abatement until independent studies are done

A resident (recorded as Speaker 1) urged the Henry County Commission to ask the court to set aside the county's tax abatement agreement with Beavers Tail Solar so independent economic and environmental impact studies can be completed before the county reaffirms or amends the deal.

"I make a motion that the Henry County Commission direct county counsel to notify the court that based upon information established through ongoing litigation, commission requests that the tax abatement agreement entered into with Beavers Tail Solar and its associate entities be set aside," the resident said, reading from a prepared motion and offering copies to commissioners.

The resident argued the agreement was approved more than a year ago on assumptions and on information provided by the solar company rather than independent analysis. "Right now, a lot of people feel like Beavertail's interest were put ahead of theirs," the resident said, and asked commissioners to "get a better deal done" for county taxpayers.

The prepared motion asked that, if the court grants the set-aside, the county complete an independent economic study and environmental impact review and then review the findings in a duly noticed public meeting before deciding whether to reaffirm, amend or decline the tax abatement.

The resident said he would leave copies of the motion for specific commissioners and noted a procedural timeline, asking the commission to act "in advance of January 30." The comment included a claim that the county was "laying tens of millions on the line," language the resident used to emphasize potential fiscal exposure.

No formal vote on the proposed motion appears in the transcript. The resident presented the motion during public comment and left copies for commissioners; the record shows discussion moved on to other agenda items and later a motion to adjourn was approved.

Next steps were not recorded in the transcript: the motion as presented would require the commission (or county counsel) to take procedural action with the court for any set-aside, and any review or formal vote would need to be scheduled as a noticed meeting.