Northwest ISD is projected to receive millions of dollars as part of negotiations for a proposed Bell Textron Inc. $429 million advanced aerospace manufacturing plant that could be located in the Alliance area of Fort Worth.

Under the Jobs, Energy, Technology and Innovation Act passed by state lawmakers in 2023, Fort Worth-based Bell Helicopter seeks to reduce the taxes it pays during a 10-year period as part of a proposal to use a 447,373-square-foot building at 15100 N. Beach St. The legislation allows companies to negotiate with state officials and local school districts to reduce some of the company’s taxes. Bell is one of several companies approved by the governor’s office for the JETI Act.

The helicopter manufacturer subsidiary seeks to pay no school property taxes from 2024 to 2028 while the plant is established. Once the facility is complete, Bell would receive a 50% tax break from 2029 to 2038 for its Northwest ISD commitment, according to the company’s application with the governor’s office.

Northwest ISD — a booming far north Fort Worth school district with more than 30,000 students — projects it would receive an additional $13.4 million in funding from Bell for taxes that provide funds for payment on debt that finances the district’s new schools. Taxes used for maintenance and operation would be less affected, district officials said.

“Northwest ISD (is) considered a property wealthy district by the state. However, the project will have less of an impact on the maintenance-and-operations portion of property tax revenue our district receives because of recapture,” said Anthony Tosie, Northwest ISD executive director of communications.

District trustees unanimously approved the advancement of Bell’s JETI application at an April 22 board meeting.

“Regarding the current status of Bell Textron’s application, we’re in the process of negotiating the agreement,” Tosie told the Fort Worth Report. 

The Northwest ISD school board recently approved its more than $500 million 2024-25 budget, which outlines $336.9 million in general fund expenditures versus $321.1 million in revenues — resulting in a $15.8 million deficit that will be covered by the district’s reserve fund.

Voters in the district will decide in November whether to approve a proposed 3-cent increase in the district’s maintenance-and-operations property tax. If approved, the increase would generate nearly $16 million in additional revenue to cover the budget deficit, officials said.

“The way I always think of it, we have a $16 million deficit. If this is approved at the polls, we get back to pretty close to $0,” Superintendent Mark Foust said at an Aug. 12 meeting. “We’re almost back to the starting block if our voters approve this.

The general fund budget is used for daily operations of the school district, while debt service is used for bond projects.

The maintenance-and-operations tax rate is one of two tax rates that form the district’s overall property tax. The proposed maintenance-and-operations tax rate would increase, from 66.69 cents to 69.69 cents, to create a total tax rate of $1.1179 per $100 of assessed property value. 

Under the maintenance-and-operations tax rate, Northwest ISD would receive a projected $687,266 from Bell, according to the district.

The two rates — maintenance-and-operations tax tax rate and debt service tax rate — are used differently as the tax rate for debt is specifically focused on debt for bond projects, Tosie said.

“By law, we cannot use (debt service) taxes for operational aspects such as teacher salaries,” he said.

Bell Helicopter is also seeking a tax break from Denton County, according to the company’s application.

Bell’s application said it would commit to creating 75 jobs with an average annual wage of $69,784, with an estimated capital investment of $429 million. By the end of the 10-year period, Bell said, the plant could create an estimated 411 jobs with a $600 million capital investment. 

The Beach Street site, a former Stanley Black & Decker tooling facility, is one of three locations under consideration. Bell said it received competing incentive offers from other states as the company considers other locations.

“Bell is analyzing several locations in multiple states to establish this facility, one of which is located in Fort Worth, but no final decision has been made,” the company said in a statement earlier this year.

Bell is also considering an offer for a $1 million grant from the city of Fort Worth and is preparing an application for almost $2.7 million from the Texas Enterprise Fund, according to the application. 

In 2022, the Army awarded a contract to Bell, worth $70 billion over decades, to build a next-generation attack helicopter.

Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org. 

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