All eyes are on the rural area of Dike, Texas as an election to make Dike an incorporated municipality is set for Saturday, May 6th at the Dike Community Center.
A recent solar plant project has disrupted the quiet life in Dike. Some residents’ in Dike have banded together to have their Class C Incorporation request put on the ballot to add an extra layer of protection for landowners in that area. Tyler based KLTV recently interviewed Dike resident Kirk Reams who voiced his displeasure with county officials “not allowing Dike residents’ to voice their opinions or concerns.” Reams stated that by the time other residents found out about the project the solar deal was already done. Reams says that incorporation would help protect Dike residents from future projects. Donna Tubb, who is against incorporation, was quoted by KLTV as saying “that not all of her family were asked about incorporating.” See KLTV’s story here: Dike Community to Vote on Incorporation
Texas State Network News picked up the KLTV story Thursday morning distributing the plight of Dike residents to it’s 3 million weekly listeners statewide. The ongoing “David vs. Goliath” fight has pitted some residents against county officials who have aligned with foreign energy entities to bring the massive solar project to the once quiet rural community. Engie Solar, through their subsidiary Hopkins Solar, LLC, received approval from Hopkins County Commissioner’s Court as well as other taxing entities for taxable valuation reductions of over 90 percent.
Blattner Energy, LLC is in charge of contructing the project and has recently caught the eye of a state-level office as the TCEQ recently cited the construction company for multiple violations regarding water and sediment runoff. That story can be found here: Blattner Battles State of Texas.
Early voting for the incorporation has already concluded with 59 of the 218 eligible voters voting early. The remaining eligible voters will be able to cast their vote on election day Saturday, May 6, 2023 from 7 am until 7 pm at the Dike Community Center on Highway 69 in Dike.
