SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – The San Marcos City Council approved an incentive program Tuesday for a new Buc-ee’s along Interstate 35 just south of Yarrington Road.
If the company chooses to move forward with the development, it will get a refund of 50% of the sales tax generated over the next 15 years.
The San Marcos Buc-ee’s is planned to take up 74,000 square feet, include 120 gas pumps and have capacity for between 100 and 175 electric vehicle charging spots.
The beloved Texas company will likely invest $50 million into the site and create 175 full-time positions, with salaries averaging at around $44,000 a year.
“Buc-ee’s is a great place to go,” said Vance Ginn, an Economist with Vance Ginn Economic Consulting. “It’s also helpful to the surrounding area. Whenever you get more businesses, they employ a lot of people [and] there’s usually pretty high pay for many of the employees that work there.”
Ginn said when a Buc-ee’s goes into a municipality, it tends to have a positive economic impact, but didn’t think the city making the tax rebate agreement was a good plan.
“Just like any other sort of tax exemption or abatement program, it’s picking Buc-ee’s as a winner compared to its competitors in the area. And so that’s not a good idea,” Ginn said.
“In free market capitalism, which I believe in strongly and we’ve seen provide a lot of benefits across the world…this kind of program should not exist,” he continued.
