At the council's required second public hearing on Aug. 12, a consultant for Nexus Renewable Power described the proposed MRG Goody solar and battery project and explained why the developer requested disannexation of a roughly 170-acre portion of a larger 1,500-acre development area that falls inside Paris city limits.

Garrett Peters, consultant for the applicant, told council the full development is about $200 million for the solar arrays plus roughly $40 million for a battery component for a combined investment of about $240 million. During due diligence, the team found about 170 acres owned by Robert Moore were inside Paris city limits; the developer said the city's special-use permit rules for in-city solar — notably a 400-foot setback requirement cited by the consultant — would make design inconsistent with adjacent parcels in Lamar County and could preclude development of most of Mr. Moore's acreage.

Peters said the developer committed to a 50-foot setback (greater than industry standard) and offered to pay the present value of estimated property-tax revenue that the project would generate: the consultant estimated total tax revenues of $768,000 over the life of the project and offered to pay about $300,000 at present value over 18 months as part of the disannexation proposal.

Peters also said the project team is preparing about 4.166 acres for a local trail and that some trail acreage that crossed Mr. Moore's land will be deeded to the Greater Paris Development Foundation; he said accelerating trail construction was an expected community benefit from on-site equipment mobilization.

Council opened and closed the required public hearing; staff said no council action was required at this meeting. Peters answered a technical question from the council about depreciation schedules for solar property, citing Section 23.26 of the Texas Property Tax Code (solar appraisal rules) and noting common local appraisal practices that affect valuations in early years.

The item remains in the public-hearing record for future council consideration; staff will follow the statutory process for disannexation petitions.