Water main to site will lead to 2nd line for Taylor
The city has formally approved an incentives agreement with a South Koreanbased supplier to Samsung Austin Semiconductor that promises to yield a second water line for Taylor.
The decision came during an Oct. 1 City Council meeting in which officials said a new 24-inch water main will stretch from the Brazos River Authority East Williamson County Water Treatment Plant on FM 1331 to the iMarketAmerica development site at FM 619 and U.S. 79.
The work is part of a $34.5 million capital improvement project for Taylor. Currently, the town has only one main water line coming from the BRA treatment plant.
“This line is absolutely crucial as a main artery to the city,” said City Manager Brian LaBorde. “We’ve had accidental punctures in our line that have caused all hands on deck to go out and work. Firefighters have had to go from hydrant to hydrant.”
The iMarketAmerica complex is planned as a 2.2 million square-foot complex with manufacturing, warehouse, research and design space with some potential retail space. iMarketAmerica is the U.S. branch of a pro- curement service provider and supply chain management firm that works with Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., and both are South Korean companies.
Samsung’s multibillion- dollar chipmaking foundry in Taylor is expected to be operational this year.
While the line will initially go only to iMarketAmerica, city leaders said eventually a spur will be built off the 619 main that will channel water to the city.
When that happens, it will mean better water pressure for those on Taylor city water, as well as improved availability for fire suppression and a fallback supply, officials said.
The city will fund $15 million of the capital project through debt to be issued in 2027. LaBorde said that debt will be repaid from water utility revenues.
The Taylor Economic Development Corp. has committed $4.5 million to the project.
The remaining $15 million will be a zero-interest loan to the city from iMarketAmerica. LaBorde said Taylor will save a significant amount by financing this portion without interest. The loan from iMarketAmerica will be repaid through the tax abatement agreement.
Tax abatement agreement
The state tax code allows the city to use property-tax abatements to repay a developer’s infrastructure contribution. At the Thursday special meeting, the council approved the creation of Tax Abatement Reinvestment Zone 12 under Chapter 312 of the Texas Tax Code as well as a Chapter 380 agreement to reimburse iMarketAmerica for water impact fees.
The agreements last until the $15 million is paid off.
The tax abatement agreement is a grant of 60% of the taxable value for each part of the multi-phase development. Each phase is given 10 years of abatement until repayment of the $15 million funding is reached.
Council documents state the reimbursement “is not an additional economic development incentive or grant to iMarketAmerica, but rather a mechanism for repayment of a portion of the city’s infrastructure costs initially funded by the developer.”
Master plan
The city’s master water plan, approved in July by the council, identified the need for a second water line.
“In a perfect world, we would have grant money coming through and we could just do it all at one time,” said Councilman Kelly Cmerek.
In July 2025, the EDC announced it had approved performance- based incentives for the company including the installation of a wastewater line to the project site, assistance in funding a new traffic signal, and paying to remove the property from the Manville Water Supply Corp. service district so it could be served by Taylor.
