Ethics?

Is it ethical for the City Council to enter into contracts that require all Texas taxpayers pay for a portion of the contract cost that only benefits local citizens?

That is a question that arises when one looks at the wind and solar contracts entered into by the City.

Spinning Spur 3, the wind farm west of Amarillo
that serves Georgetown, applied to the Adrian ISD for a “Chapter 313” tax abatement July 8, 2013.

Taxable value of the $190 million project
drops to $5 million.

In return, the wind farm will create 5 jobs.
The abatement requires 10 jobs. Spinning Spur applies for, and gets a waiver.

Buckthorn Westex applied to the Ft. Stockton ISD for a “Chapter 313” tax abatement in February 2015. 

The taxable value of the $183 million project drops to $30 million.

In return, Buckthorn will create 2 jobs.
The abatement requires 10 jobs.
Buckthorn applies for, and gets a waiver.

Since Texas school finance laws require that
schools be “kept whole,” the state will reimburse
Adrian and Ft Stockton ISDs for the revenue lost by this abatement. So, where does the State get its money? From the tax payers of course.

So this transfer of renewable energy cost from the rate payers of Georgetown to all the tax payers in Texas is legal, but, is it ethical?

What say you?

P.S. The City's ethics code does not address this situation!