OHH, OISD, NISD Reap Millions Yearly From Wind Farms
Candidates for the commissioners court and county judge who oppose incoming industrial projects such as the proposed Tapaderos Solar Farm have argued that large renewable energy developments fail to create lasting jobs or meaningful longterm revenue for Young County.
But county appraisal records and tax projections show existing wind projects continue generating millions of dollars annually for local taxing entities, particularly school districts and the Olney Hamilton Hospital district. The state of Texas funds public schools based on attendance, which fell sharply this year for the first time since the Covid pandemic in 2020, the Texas Education Agency reported this month.
The current commissioners court approved a tax abatement for the Tapaderos Solar project, which county officials estimated would increase county revenue by roughly $4.7 million compared to taking no action. That estimate included approximately $430,000 in projected sales tax revenue tied to requirements that taxable purchases be made in Young County, along with a one-time $300,000 contribution earmarked for volunteer fire departments and the sheriff ’s office.
Opposition to such abatements became a campaign issue this year. Incoming Precinct 2 Commissioner Travis Kunkel defeated incumbent Scott Shook in the Republican primary after campaigning against future tax abatements for industrial projects. Precinct 4 candidate Cooper Dodd, now facing Bobby Swetnam in a runoff election, also has publicly opposed abatements.
Yet appraisal figures from existing projects illustrate the scale of revenue generated for local taxing entities.
The Trinity Hills Wind Farm near Olney, approved by commissioners in 2011 with a tax abatement, continues to provide substantial revenue to both Olney ISD and the Olney Hamilton Hospital district. According to Young County appraisal records, Trinity Hills carried a taxable value of $40.2 million in 2024, generating a base tax levy of roughly $407,767 for Olney ISD. In 2025, the project’s taxable value declined to approximately $31.2 million, with the school district still collecting about $300,060 in base taxes.
A second project, the Young Wind Farm constructed in 2022 between Newcastle and Graham ISD, produces even larger figures. County appraisal records show the project carried a market value of approximately $428.8 million in 2024, generating a base tax levy of nearly $1.7 million for Newcastle ISD.
In 2025, the project’s market value declined to about $321.2 million, but still generated approximately $1.71 million in taxes.
Preliminary 2026 figures project a taxable market value of $250 million and an estimated base tax levy of roughly $1.36 million.
The same project also represents a major revenue source for the Olney Hamilton Hospital district. County appraisal figures show the Young Wind Farm generated approximately $1.91 million in hospital district taxes in 2024 and about $1.43 million in 2025.
Preliminary 2026 estimates place the projected levy at approximately $1.11 million.
Then-County Judge John C. Bullock, whose court approved the Young Wind Farm abatement in 2021, praised the project at the time as an important financial resource for county schools.
“It’s a good resource for Young County and it’s a good resource for Newcastle ISD, which the biggest part of the wind farm is in, it’s a great resource for them and it is also a good resource for Graham ISD,” Judge Bullock said during a June 14, 2021 commissioners court meeting.
Judge Bullock, now seeking re-election against incumbent County Judge Win Graham, has since shifted his position and says he would oppose abatements for future solar, wind and data center projects.
“These developments did not bring lasting economic impact to the county as in businesses, jobs, housing, or maintenance and service,” Judge Bullock wrote on his campaign website. “Taxes did not decrease much, if any at all.”
County Chief Appraiser Jesse Blackmon said renewable energy projects naturally lose taxable value over time as equipment depreciates, though the tax contributions remain significant even after abatements and value limitation agreements expire. Blackmon noted that Olney ISD’s agreements connected to Trinity Hills ended several years ago and that preliminary 2026 values could still decrease another 10 to 15 percent from current levels.