Tax Abatement Settled

Ector County commissioners decided against blowing off a tax abatement request Monday for Notrees Windpower LP.

Duke Energy officials asked commissioners for a 60 percent tax abatement for the first five years and a 40 percent tax abatement for the second five years. After 10 years, the tax abatement expires.

Commissioners voted 5-0 to approve the tax abatement.

"I don't really like the abatements," Commissioner Freddie Gardner said. "If you're going to have companies coming in, that's a part of businesses. If we don't do it, they'll go to another county or city."

Notrees Windpower, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, asked for the tax abatement over a 10-year period to begin in 2010 for phase 1B of the Notrees Windpower Project, which would place 11 wind turbines on a strip of land on the westernmost edge of Ector County.

"That's a very important deal for us," said Gary Vest, economic director for the Odessa Chamber of Commerce. "We have a lot of potential for other wind turbines. Now it's 11 ... it could be hundreds."

Commissioners also let a request for a countywide burn ban die Monday.

West Odessa Fire Chief Jimmy Ellis spoke before commissioners, urging them to vote the burn ban in effect.

"I think they made a big mistake," Ellis said. "I think they'll regret it in the long run."

Ellis said Midland County approved a countywide burn ban Monday morning and urged Ector County commissioners to do the same.

West Odessa volunteer firefighters responded to more than 800 fire calls last year, Ellis said.

"Two hundred were grassfires," he said. "That's just West Odessa."

Ellis said he thinks commissioners let the motion die because burn bans are unpopular with voters.

Commissioners considered the Keetch-Byram drought index to determine whether to support a countywide burn ban, Gardner said.

"We look at that a couple of times a week to see where we stand as far as the fire danger here in Ector County," Gardner said.

Gardner said the index showed fire danger listed as low for Ector County.

"Our manpower is down, all our men are tired," Ellis said. "We're burning them out."

Commissioners also approved:

>> A deviation from the Ector County approved paint scheme for the county attorney's office.

>> To declare surplus and approve the sale by auction of assets and other items.

>> The continuation of juvenile detention services contracts with Andrews, Crane, Dawson, Gaines, Pecos, Reagan, Reeves, Ward, Upton and the 118th Judicial District.

>> A $2,000 line-item transfer from full-time salaries to contract services.

>> The accounts payable fund requirements report for Jan. 12 and county financial statements and reports.