Texas Central failed to pay taxes last year, and counties are ready to collect

Written by RT&S Staff
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A group of Texas counties have filed an amicus brief against Texas Central.
Texas Central

There are two certainties in life, and one of them is past due for Texas Central.

A number of Texas counties have filed an amicus brief in the Texas Supreme Court case Miles vs. Texas Central. The group is accusing Texas Central of failing to pay property taxes in 2021.

Texas Central wants to build a 236-mile high-speed rail line connecting Houston to Dallas. Jim Miles sued Texas Central back in 2016 because the landowner claims the high-speed rail builder does not qualify as a railroad company under Texas state law, and in essence cannot use eminent domain to purchase land that would be required for the high-speed rail line. The court heard oral arguments on Jan. 11.

According to the brief, Texas Central owes over $622,000 in property taxes, including over $216,000 in Harris County. Ellis County initially granted tax exemptions to the railroad, but then rolled the exemptions back. A total of 47 county parcels are owned by Texas Central under a variety of names, and all of them were acquired prior to 2021.

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