What’s happening?
The performance-based agreement provides a 10-year consecutive tax abatement for Phase 1 and 2 of Soulbrain’s future U.S. headquarters in Taylor for semi-conductor operations, according to a news release.
Twenty-five percent of the company’s taxable value for real and business personal property will be abated, or decreased. According to the release, specific requirements Soulbrain must meet within the agreement include:
- Making a capital investment of $175 million and $400 million for Phase 1 and 2 of the facility, respectively
- Creating a minimum taxable value of $100 million for both phases
- Employing at least 50 people through a five-year phased hiring schedule
- Establishing internship and employment opportunities for Williamson County high school students
Explained
Soulbrain provides chemical productions used in the semiconductor process, County Judge Bill Gravell said. The company has manufactured high-tech materials for over 35 years, according to its website.
“The purpose of manufacturing is completely involved with the etching of the semiconductor wafer,” Gravell said.
Soulbrain will construct phosphoric and hydrofluoric acid plants, among other buildings and facilities on its Taylor property, according to the release.
Sorting out details
Officials from the Williamson County Economic Development Partnership worked with Soulbrain for the past 18 months to finalize the facility’s site selection process, Executive Director Dave Porter said.
According to the release, Soulbrain purchased 85 acres within the RCR Taylor Logistics Park, which is situated between the Hutto Megasite and Samsung’s semiconductor plant off of Hwy. 79.
“This is a critical component for Samsung,” Porter said at the meeting. “The RCR Railpark ... is zoned for this type of operation.”
By the numbers
The county’s approval to the abatement comes two weeks after Taylor Mayor Dwayne Ariola and Ben White, president of the Taylor Economic Development Corporation, visited the Soulbrain manufacturing facility in South Korea, Gravell said.
White said the total projected buildout is “conservatively” $600 million, and he expects it to be much higher.
“For granting an abatement of $2 million, we will gain $18 million in taxable property value,” Gravell said in the release. “That is significant to offset property taxes for our residents.”
What they’re saying
At the meeting, Georgetown resident Bill Kelberlau expressed his concerns about the agreement, listing possible dangers related to constructing acid plants.
“Plants like this need to be out in the open, away from high populations,” Kelberlau said. “This is a very dangerous proposition in a high-density population area.”
White said he was impressed with the cleanliness and safety precautions within Soulbrain’s manufacturing facility in South Korea. Additionally, he said the U.S. defense department relies heavily on chips being produced.
“This Samsung facility and all the components that are leading into this—it’s a national defense project,” White said. “We need these facilities up and running sooner than later.”
Remember this?
On July 25, the city of Taylor approved the tax abatement for Soulbrain. White said construction is expected to start Jan. 1 and finish out in 2029.
“The reality is, it will be—overnight—one of the largest projects in Williamson County,” Gravell said at the Oct. 8 meeting.
