Grimes County commissioners approve three SpaceX agreements

This podcast contains comments from the June 3, 2026 Grimes County commission meeting.Grimes County commissioners, on four to one votes, approve three agreements that pave the way for SpaceX to build a multibillion dollar semiconductor plant. There were no documents on the Grimes County commission website at the time of their votes on Wednesday (June 3) that are associated with establishing a tax increment financing zone...also known as a TIRZ. And there were no documents associated with the tax abatement and economic development agreements that were also approved.The county judge and three of the four commissioners who approved the three agreements did not make any public comments. Voting no was David Tullos. Referring to the tax abatement agreement, Tullos said they could have achieved more. What was approved, allows SpaceX to pay instead of full property taxes a $10 million dollar up front fee in the next 60 days then $20 million a year for the next 35 years.Tullos voted against establishing the TIRZ after learning SpaceX expanded the original boundary of the former Gibbons Creek power plant to include Singleton, Roans Prairie, and land south of Highway 30. A SpaceX attorney said the TIRZ will apply only to property that the company buys and incorporates into its tax abatement agreement.Another SpaceX representative explained how water will be treated and disposed after it is used in the manufacture of computer chips.And an outside attorney hired by Grimes County said SpaceX will have to reach tax abatement agreements with affected public school districts.