Companies looking for a property tax break in Cameron County will now have to meet new guidelines before an agreement gets approved.

County leaders say the guidelines give them more ways to review a project's potential impact and allow them to keep checking an agreement after it's approved.

The latest update adds three key changes to the county's tax abatement policy.

The county updated its requirements for notifying the public when a tax abatement agreement is being considered. Certain projects could also be required to have an environmental impact study conducted by an independent third party, which the county would then review or approve.

After an abatement is approved, property values will be reviewed annually. If a property ends up being worth less than projected, the tax break would also decrease proportionally.

"We want to make sure that we're obviously complying with state law and, two, taking advantage of every possible protection we can utilize to protect the people that we represent and the resources that make up our county," Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. said.

The judge says recent discussions surrounding data centers and their potential demand on water and electricity are one reason these protections are important.

State law requires the county to review its tax abatement policy at least once every two years. Under that same law, the county will have to review the policy again no later than 2028.

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