Bell County Commissioners Court next week again will take up the tax abatement agreement requested by Big Elm Solar, the target of an anti-solar farm petition and much local controversy.

The solar farm's tax abatement agreement is on the agenda for the commissioners' court's regular meeting scheduled 9 a.m. Monday at the court's meeting room, 101 E. Central Ave. in Belton, according to a public notice.

Big Elm Solar is asking the county for a tax abatement agreement ahead of about $186 million in improvements in the company's plan to produce renewable energy via solar panels, according to the public notice.

"The property subject to the abatement agreement is on land within the Big Elm Solar Reinvestment Zone Number 1 located in Precinct 3," the public notice said.

The notice includes a list of corresponding property owners, parcels and legal descriptions.

Big Elm Solar's project is in partnership with Austin-based High Road Clean Energy and Virginia-based Apex Energy to develop 3,000 acres about 30 miles south of Waco. Big Elm Solar is asking for property tax reductions from Troy ISD and the county.

The L reached out to local anti-solar farm group, Ganado Against the Solar Farms, and Ganado school board members for further comment but received no reply.

Ganado Against the Solar Farms currently is gathering signatures for a Change.org petition against Chapter 313 and/or 312 tax abatements for industrial solar farms.

Plans for the solar farm attracted about 60 local residents to a commissioner's court public hearing in May, which proved quite a challenge to keep the meeting socially distant for the largely unmasked attendees, according to a local news report.

Most of the attendees spoke against the solar farm, according to the news story published by The Texan.

"This is all about the money that clean energy is promising the county and the school district,” said attendee and farm owner Robert Fleming in the news story. "It isn’t about right and wrong."

Commissioners in June agreed to a new reinvestment zone for the solar farm.