AFIDA CITIZEN REPORT · HIDALGO COUNTY, TEXAS · PUBLIC STUDY · OCTOBER 31, 2026
Same taxable value. Different county tax treatment.
Compare the ordinary county tax with documented incentive terms, then examine what a hypothetical return of forgone revenue could support. Foreign ownership is context; it does not determine the tax calculation.
County tax only. 51.8¢ operations + 5.7¢ debt service. Debt is a derived 9.91% of this rate, not an established allocation of forgone revenue.
DOCUMENTED · 2024 DISCLOSURE
$9,339,677
County-reported annual abatement across programs discussed in its notes. Not wind only; not added to project term estimates.
DERIVED · MC-II SCENARIO
$745,103.38 / year
$7,451,033.78 estimated term relief ÷ 10, rounded. An illustrative average, not an established annual receipt or appropriation.
Set the annual county scenario
Default: Monte Cristo II term estimate $7,451,033.78 ÷ 10 = $745,103.38. The flat annual average is not the agreement’s annual schedule. Changing this input creates a user-defined scenario.
These employee and wage assumptions are demonstrations, not Hidalgo payroll findings. Use the detailed pay model for different staffing and wages in each division.
CITIZEN / HOMEOWNER · COMPARISON BASELINE
DOCUMENTED: SOURCES BELOWDERIVED / ILLUSTRATIVE: COMPARISON MATHACTUAL PAYMENTS: NOT ESTABLISHED
Resident example
Hypothetical $100,000 taxable value. Actual exemptions, agricultural appraisal and age/disability ceilings can change the bill. AFIDA ownership and acreage fields do not apply to this hypothetical household.
ILLUSTRATIVE BASELINE
County tax comparison
Resident baseline · no exemption or ceiling100% payable
$575 on $100,000 taxable value
Resident baseline100% payable / 0% abated
100%
$575 illustrative payable · $0 abated per $100,000 of qualifying taxable value.
Formula: full county tax = taxable value × 0.00575; relief = full tax × eligible abatement percentage; payable = full tax − relief.
Public return & evidence
A comparison baseline, not a count of households. Same nominal county rate before project relief; the difference illustrated arises from the incentive.
Department allocation: not established. Any add-back allocation is a scenario, not the documented destination of taxes.
PORTUGAL-LINKED · HIDALGO WIND FARM LLC
DOCUMENTED: SOURCES BELOWDERIVED / ILLUSTRATIVE: COMPARISON MATHACTUAL PAYMENTS: NOT ESTABLISHED
Hidalgo Wind Farm
AFIDA Owner ID 27303. FY2024 source: 19 records and 26,304.65 reported acres. Land-interest records are not a certified taxable project footprint.
ILLUSTRATION FROM TERMS
County tax comparison
Resident baseline · no exemption or ceiling100% payable
$575 on $100,000 taxable value
Eligible new project value20% payable / 80% abated
20%80%
$115 illustrative payable · $460 abated per $100,000 of qualifying taxable value.
On equal eligible taxable value, the resident baseline pays 5 times the modeled company amount (400% more).
Historical anticipated percentage: the 2014 document anticipates 80%; the final addendum and annual records are still required. This is not a verified current bill.
Formula: full county tax = taxable value × 0.00575; relief = full tax × eligible abatement percentage; payable = full tax − relief.
Public return & evidence
2014 county document expects 3 new jobs. Delivered employment, final applicable percentage and annual payments remain to be reconciled. Corporate ownership context must be dated.
Department allocation: not established. Any add-back allocation is a scenario, not the documented destination of taxes.
DOCUMENTED: SOURCES BELOWDERIVED / ILLUSTRATIVE: COMPARISON MATHACTUAL PAYMENTS: NOT ESTABLISHED
Monte Cristo II
Terra-Gen ownership announcement, October 1, 2024: 50% Masdar / 50% Igneo. County July 2025 document anticipates $240.145 million; not a current certified appraisal.
ILLUSTRATION FROM TERMS
County tax comparison
Resident baseline · no exemption or ceiling100% payable
$575 on $100,000 taxable value
Eligible new project value40% payable / 60% abated
40%60%
$230 illustrative payable · $345 abated per $100,000 of qualifying taxable value.
On equal eligible taxable value, the resident baseline pays 2.5 times the modeled company amount (150% more).
Formula: full county tax = taxable value × 0.00575; relief = full tax × eligible abatement percentage; payable = full tax − relief.
Potential county uses
Illustrative allocation of the annual scenario. Editable shares are not the county’s adopted fund split.
Expected jobs: at least 8 in county document; separate college presentation projects 2 permanent. Actual delivery is not established.
Drainage District No. 1: excluded from county-only scenario, not zero tax owed.
COUNTY DOCUMENT GAP · MONTE CRISTO I
DOCUMENTED: SOURCES BELOWDERIVED / ILLUSTRATIVE: COMPARISON MATHACTUAL PAYMENTS: NOT ESTABLISHED
Monte Cristo I
Keep separate from Monte Cristo II. County percentage unresolved; full executed December 2018 agreement, incorporated schedule and amendments needed.
NOT ESTABLISHED
County tax comparison
Resident baseline · no exemption or ceiling100% payable
$575 on $100,000 taxable value
Company payment comparison not established
No zero-payment bar or assumed relief percentage. County agreement, eligible value, applicable year and payment records are needed.
Formula: full county tax = taxable value × 0.00575; relief = full tax × eligible abatement percentage; payable = full tax − relief.
Public return & evidence
Rio Tinto is an identified buyer under a virtual agreement, not the abatement recipient. Second buyer not identified in sources reviewed. Buyer and grid questions belong in separate analysis.
Department allocation: not established. Any add-back allocation is a scenario, not the documented destination of taxes.
COUNTY DOCUMENT GAP · MONTE ALTO WINDPOWER
DOCUMENTED: SOURCES BELOWDERIVED / ILLUSTRATIVE: COMPARISON MATHACTUAL PAYMENTS: NOT ESTABLISHED
Monte Alto Windpower
La Villa and Mercedes school references do not establish two county awards. Do not apply a college percentage to the county rate.
NOT ESTABLISHED
County tax comparison
Resident baseline · no exemption or ceiling100% payable
$575 on $100,000 taxable value
Company payment comparison not established
No zero-payment bar or assumed relief percentage. County agreement, eligible value, applicable year and payment records are needed.
Formula: full county tax = taxable value × 0.00575; relief = full tax × eligible abatement percentage; payable = full tax − relief.
Public return & evidence
County agreement, eligible property and annual relief require verification. College promises do not establish county benefits delivered.
Department allocation: not established. Any add-back allocation is a scenario, not the documented destination of taxes.
COUNTY DOCUMENT GAP · PONTE ALTO WINDPOWER
DOCUMENTED: SOURCES BELOWDERIVED / ILLUSTRATIVE: COMPARISON MATHACTUAL PAYMENTS: NOT ESTABLISHED
Ponte Alto Windpower
La Villa and Lyford school references are grouped without inventing county dollars. County boundaries and project attribution require reconciliation.
NOT ESTABLISHED
County tax comparison
Resident baseline · no exemption or ceiling100% payable
$575 on $100,000 taxable value
Company payment comparison not established
No zero-payment bar or assumed relief percentage. County agreement, eligible value, applicable year and payment records are needed.
Formula: full county tax = taxable value × 0.00575; relief = full tax × eligible abatement percentage; payable = full tax − relief.
Public return & evidence
County promises, status and actual payments remain unestablished.
Department allocation: not established. Any add-back allocation is a scenario, not the documented destination of taxes.
COUNTY DOCUMENT GAP · LA JOYA WINDPOWER
DOCUMENTED: SOURCES BELOWDERIVED / ILLUSTRATIVE: COMPARISON MATHACTUAL PAYMENTS: NOT ESTABLISHED
La Joya Windpower
College termination evidence does not establish the outcome of a separate county agreement.
NOT ESTABLISHED
County tax comparison
Resident baseline · no exemption or ceiling100% payable
$575 on $100,000 taxable value
Company payment comparison not established
No zero-payment bar or assumed relief percentage. County agreement, eligible value, applicable year and payment records are needed.
Formula: full county tax = taxable value × 0.00575; relief = full tax × eligible abatement percentage; payable = full tax − relief.
Public return & evidence
County terms, status and delivered benefits remain unestablished.
Department allocation: not established. Any add-back allocation is a scenario, not the documented destination of taxes.
COUNTY DOCUMENT GAP · GRAPEFRUIT SOLAR
DOCUMENTED: SOURCES BELOWDERIVED / ILLUSTRATIVE: COMPARISON MATHACTUAL PAYMENTS: NOT ESTABLISHED
Grapefruit Solar
Reporting describes a five-year 50% county incentive; executed terms, counterparty and current agreement status require verification.
NOT ESTABLISHED
County tax comparison
Resident baseline · no exemption or ceiling100% payable
$575 on $100,000 taxable value
Company payment comparison not established
No zero-payment bar or assumed relief percentage. County agreement, eligible value, applicable year and payment records are needed.
Formula: full county tax = taxable value × 0.00575; relief = full tax × eligible abatement percentage; payable = full tax − relief.
Public return & evidence
No payment bar is calculated from reporting alone. Ownership assignment and performance remain unresolved.
Department allocation: not established. Any add-back allocation is a scenario, not the documented destination of taxes.
Which local-government budget is affected?
Unit / division
Services and payroll
Effect examined here
Evidence still needed
County General Fund
Sheriff, constables, courts, administration and other county operations
County relief can reduce county tax otherwise due; no automatic state replacement
Agreement-year relief, fund attribution, service costs and actual payroll
County roads / infrastructure
Road and bridge maintenance, crews and capital work
Modeled allocation only; lawful restrictions and adopted fund structure govern actual use
Actual road-fund revenue, permissible transfers, needs and staffing
County buildings / maintenance
Facilities, repairs and maintenance personnel
Scenario division, not a claim of a separate taxing unit
Adopted departmental budget and repair backlog
County debt service
Bond and certificate obligations
Separate rate component, not available automatically for pay raises
Debt levy, agreement treatment and legal restrictions
School districts
Teachers, school staff and buildings
Excluded from county-only add-back; Chapter 313 M&O limitation interacts with state aid / recapture
School agreement and annual state-funding reconciliation
Cities
Municipal police, municipal fire, city council and city departments
Excluded; county relief does not establish city relief
Each city’s agreements, tax receipts and payroll
Emergency services districts
Fire and EMS where provided by that district
Separate taxing unit; no automatic loss assigned
Service area, own levy, agreements and staffing
South Texas College
College operations and programs
Separate college incentive; never apply college percentage to county rate
Executed college agreement and compliance / payment records
Drainage District No. 1
Drainage works and district debt
Excluded from county-only add-back; 2025 rate $0.1123 per $100
District-specific bills and any district incentive
Country records · separate from the tax ledger
FY2024 Hidalgo County: 221,562.772 reported acres · 301 distinct Owner IDs · 579 records · 26 country/source codes. These country aggregates do not establish government control, project ownership, taxable appraisals or tax payments.
Reported country
Reported acres
Distinct Owner IDs
Records
County incentive status
Portugal
26,304.65
1
19
Not established for the aggregate
United Arab Emirates
68,134.379
3
97
Not established for the aggregate
Mexico
69,817
62
91
Not established for the aggregate
Netherlands
1,149
5
20
Not established for the aggregate
Countries shown are a subset, not an additive county total. Mexico’s 30,830-acre acquisition-wave subset is historical, not the county denominator. AFIDA value fields are filing values, not verified current taxable appraisals. No incentive shown in AFIDA does not establish that no incentive exists.
County-only ledger · no unsupported total
Project
County percentage evidence
Term estimate
Annual actual
Hidalgo Wind Farm
80% anticipated in 2014; final addendum needed
Not used in this model
Not established
Monte Cristo II
60% in July 2025 county document
$7,451,033.78 estimate
Not established
Other projects
Separate document gaps above
Not calculated
Not established
No countywide total is calculated. Equal-value bars and the term-average scenario cannot be added as actual tax receipts.
What could the revenue support?
The linked pay model lets you allocate a clearly labeled hypothetical annual amount among county public safety, roads, buildings and other operations. Staffing, wages and employer costs remain editable assumptions. Teacher, municipal police/fire and council payrolls require their own taxing-unit scenarios.
Compare food output, livelihoods, soil and water needs, and the cost of continued farming. A lease boundary is not automatically lost productive acreage.
Develop or preserve
Compare infrastructure, recurring jobs, tax receipts, public-service costs and the land retained for future use. Record who receives each benefit.
Maintain or restore
Identify repair obligations, restoration costs, responsible parties and enforceable funding. Unknown costs remain visible rather than scored as zero.
Read the evidence correctly
Documented identifies what a dated source says, including a projection. It does not convert a projection into an actual payment.
Derived identifies arithmetic, such as a term estimate divided by ten. Illustrative identifies modeled outcomes. Not established identifies missing evidence.
County Chapter 312, college relief and school Chapter 313 remain separate. Chapter 313 concerns school M&O valuation; lower values typically increase state aid or reduce recapture, with reconciliation dependent on year and agreement.
Company examples cover eligible new value only. Land and ineligible value, school, city, college, drainage and other district taxes are excluded. Unknown is not zero.
2024 county tax revenue was $295,984,216 in governmental funds. The disclosed $9,339,677 is 3.16% of that revenue figure; this is not a measured share of the potential tax levy exempted. 2024 rate composition differs from 2025.
Drainage District No. 1 levies separately: its verified 2025 rate is $0.1123 per $100. It is excluded from this county-only add-back; this does not mean it is owed no tax.
Full-tax scenarios assume the same project exists without the incentive. Gross forgone tax is not automatically net fiscal loss; costs, retained revenue, restrictions and investment effects require assessment.
Country calculations: local FY2024 USDA holdings source, FIPS 48215; SHA-256 592664aaa9bb5328154b9d6f418ca212540b83e9b8a3855512c1c69261fb6fb2. Grouped country/source codes and distinct Owner IDs; these are not individual-project boundaries.