Jackson County Commissioners approved participating in the Texas Enterprise Zone Program and nominated Inteplast Group Corp. as an Enterprise Project.
According to the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office website, “The Texas Enterprise Zone Program (EZP) is a state sales and use tax refund program designed to encourage private investment and job creation in economically distressed areas of the state.”
For a company to be eligible to participate, it must be nominated by its local community. Companies which are designated an Enterprise Zone are eligible to receive state sales and use tax refunds on qualified expenditures, according to the website.
Companies must meet minimum capital investment thresholds and create and/or retain jobs that employ a certain percentage of economically disadvantaged individuals, enterprise zone residents, or veterans, according to the website.
County Commissioners also approved an interlocal agreement with the Lavaca- Navidad River Authority regarding its proposed contribution toward the required match for the study of Cox Creek and Keller Creek watersheds funded by the Texas Water Development Board.
Jackson County Judge Jill Sklar said that the county is trying to address its drainage problems and that the study is a part of the countywide plan.
“We’re working on a master drainage plan to address issues within the county, working with countywide drainage to know how to fix our floodprone areas,” Sklar said Friday. “This is a very, very long-term thought of what we need to do, but part of the deal is to do these studies, and they contribute to the master drainage plan.
“One area that has been identified by the commissioners and other stakeholders was Cox and Keller Creek. They tend to flood at times. We went out and got a grant from the Texas Water Development Board for about $667,000 to study those two areas and see if we could come up with a plan on how to alleviate drainage issues in those areas.”
In addition, commissioners also approved four applications from Jackson Electric Cooperative and NRTC Broadband Solutions for utilities crossings on 19 county roads. Those include County Road 115 in Precinct 1; County Roads 300, 301, 302, 303, 306, 307, 308, 310, and 311 in Precinct 3; County Roads 426, 4291, 431, 419, 420, 421, 425, 426, and 4201 in Precinct 4.
JEC has announced on its Facebook page that it is expanding fiber internet service in Jackson County to residents in areas south of Ganado, Lolita, FM 1593, and south of Edna, FM 3131, and FM 1822 as part of Phase 1 of its Fiber Expansion Project.
In other business, commissioners: Approved the minutes of a prior meeting; Approved budget amendments, line-item transfers and revenue certifications for the Fiscal Year 2025 budget; Held a public hearing to consider participation in the Texas Enterprise Zone Program, pursuant to the Texas Enterprise Zone Act, Chapter 2303, and to nominate Inteplast Group Corporation as an Enterprise Project; Approved an order ordaining Jackson County’s participation in the Texas Enterprise Zone Program, pursuant to the Texas Enterprise Zone Act, Chapter 2303, and nominating Inteplast Group Corp. as an Enterprise Project; Ratified an agreement between Jackson County and the Edna Little League for the use of the old fairgrounds; Approved the annual Racial Profiling Report; Approved a Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); Approved a payment from MTG Pipeline for road damages on County Roads 127 and 401 in Precinct 1 and on County Road 259 in Precinct 2; Approved an application for Victim Coordinator and Liaison Grant (VCLG) and a resolution authorizing the submission of grant application under the VCLG Program for FY 2026--2027 through the Office of the Attorney General; Approved of a grant application to purchase an AED for the jail; Approved of an application for the Operation Lone Star Grant Program (OLS), FY 2026, through the Office of the Governor; Approved a request from Energy Transfer to waive $617.91 in penalty and interest as allowed by Chapter 33 of the Texas Tax Code on reassigned accounts that were created causing a refund; Approved an agreement with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) for authorization of network scans to improve the network’s cyber hygiene; Approved an election contract between the Jackson County Clerk’s Office and Edna ISD for the upcoming May 3 Board of Trustees Election; Received unaudited financial statements as of and for the four months ending Jan. 31, 2025; Approved the Treasurer’s Report for the month of January; Approved payment of county bills, precinct bills, and one court order; Approved payroll changes; and Heard various county reports, news, and information.
