Fitch Rates Brazoria County, TX's ULT & L-T Refunding Bonds 'AA+'; Outlook Stable
Fitch Ratings has assigned an 'AA+' rating to the following Brazoria
County, Texas (the county) bonds:
--$7.9 million limited tax (LT) refunding bonds series 2016;
--$8.3 million unlimited tax (ULT) refunding bonds series 2016.
The bonds are scheduled for sale via negotiation the week of January 11
to refund a portion of the county's outstanding debt for interest
savings.
In addition, Fitch affirms the following ratings at 'AA+':
--$39.4 million ULT road bonds;
--$2.7 million general obligation (GO) refunding bonds;
--$34.6 million certificates of obligation (COs).
The Rating Outlook is Stable.
SECURITY
The ULT bonds are secured by an unlimited ad valorem tax pledge levied
against all taxable property within the county.
The GOs and COs are each secured by a limited ad valorem tax pledge on
all taxable property within the county, not to exceed $0.80 per $100 of
assessed value.
KEY RATING DRIVERS
STRONG FINANCIAL PROFILE: The county's strong financial profile reflects
solid reserves, positive operating margins, and prudent financial
policies.
GROWING ECONOMY: Continued development in chemical manufacturing and
petroleum processing is driving labor force growth and demand for
housing, promoting residential development and boosting sales tax
receipts. Unemployment is low and income metrics are generally above
state and national averages.
CONCENTRATED TAX BASE: The tax base is concentrated in chemical
manufacturing and petroleum processing. However volatility in these
industries has been minimal, particularly with ongoing investment by the
largest taxpayers in the area.
AVERAGE DEBT PROFILE: The county's overall debt ratios are high, driven
by debt of underlying cities, school districts, and special districts.
Carrying costs are low and amortization rapid, and future capital needs
appear manageable, focusing primarily on road construction and
maintenance as a result of the economic development.
RATING SENSITIVITIES
SHIFT IN FUNDAMENTALS: The rating is sensitive to the county's strong
financial management practices that help mitigate concentration in the
tax base.
CREDIT PROFILE
Brazoria County is located immediately south of Houston and is bordered
by the Gulf of Mexico and Fort Bend, Galveston, and Matagorda Counties.
The county's 2014 population of 338,124 is up one-third from the 2000
census and has grown steadily over the past decade. The largest city is
Pearland (GO bonds rated 'AA', Stable Outlook by Fitch), with a
population of approximately 112,300.
GROWING ECONOMY CONCENTRATED IN PETROLEUM AND CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING
The county's economy centers on chemical manufacturing and petroleum
processing, with the presence of several other industries including
fishing, tourism, government, and agriculture. The Port of Freeport, the
21st largest port in the U.S. in terms of foreign tonnage, provides
critical transportation access for the region's dominant chemical
manufacturing and petroleum processing businesses.
Dow Chemical Co. (rated 'BBB'/Rating Watch Positive) is the largest
employer and taxpayer in the county with 4,200 employees and 12% of
fiscal 2015 taxable assessed valuation (TAV). Dow Chemical's investment
in the community continues to expand, along with other chemical
manufacturers including Germany-based BASF and Chevron Phillips Chemical
Company. While the majority of industrial expansions are at chemical
manufacturing plants, downstream oil and gas sectors also play a role in
the county economy. Houston-based Freeport LNG is constructing a $4.6
billion expansion of their existing natural gas liquefaction facility.
The county's TAV has experienced moderate growth since fiscal 2012,
averaging about 4% increases year-over-year. Growth is expected to
continue, augmented by previously abated properties added to the tax
rolls. Overall, the largest taxpayers make up a high 25.6% of fiscal
2015 county TAV and reflect the dominant economic role of the prevailing
industries.
Fitch notes that the historical stability of these industries and the
ongoing diversification of the regional economy somewhat offset
concentration concerns. The unemployment rate remained low at 4.7% in
October 2015, and income metrics are above state and national averages.
POSITIVE OPERATING RESULTS, STRONG RESERVES
The county is reliant primarily on property and sales taxes, making up
approximately 65% and 15% of general fund revenues, respectively; these
two sources have been the leading drivers of revenue growth over the
past decade.
Robust economic activity and resultant tax revenue growth have also
supported increases in reserve levels over the last five years. Fiscal
2014 ended with $53.8 million in unrestricted general fund balance, or a
strong 64.3% of spending. Unaudited results for fiscal 2015 point to
another year of healthy surplus, estimated at almost $10 million--due in
part to very strong sales tax performance.
The fiscal 2016 budget is balanced and does not deviate significantly
from prior years. The county's history of conservative budgeting and
expected further growth in sales tax receipts will likely lead to
another year of positive operations.
MIXED DEBT PROFILE
The county's overall debt levels are elevated at $5,693 per capita and
6.1% of fiscal 2016 market value and are comprised primarily of
overlapping debt. Potential capital needs include the construction of a
toll road connecting Brazoria County to Harris County, although the
specifics of the project and its funding sources are still undetermined.
No other capital needs are currently planned. Amortization of
outstanding county debt is rapid, with 73.5% of principal paid off in
ten years.
MANAGEABLE PENSION, OPEB LIABILITIES
The county fully funds its annual required contribution (ARC) to a
statewide pension program and has an affordable other postemployment
benefit (OPEB) liability. Fitch considers the county's pension funded
ratio adequate at 75.3% funded (using a 7% investment return assumption)
as of the Sept. 30, 2014 actuarial valuation. Carrying costs, including
debt service, pension ARC, and OPEB contribution, were low at 10.5% of
fiscal 2014 total governmental expenditures.
Additional information is available at 'www.fitchratings.com'.
Fitch recently published an exposure draft of state and local government
tax-supported criteria (Exposure Draft: U.S. Tax-Supported Rating
Criteria, dated Sept. 10, 2015). The draft includes a number of proposed
revisions to existing criteria. If applied in the proposed form, Fitch
estimates the revised criteria would result in changes to less than 10%
of existing tax-supported ratings. Fitch expects that final criteria
will be approved and published by Jan. 20, 2016. Once approved, the
criteria will be applied immediately to any new issue and surveillance
rating review. Fitch anticipates the criteria to be applied to all
ratings that fall under the criteria within a 12-month period from the
final approval date.
In addition to the sources of information identified in Fitch's
applicable criteria specified below, this action was informed by
information from CreditScope, IHS Global Insight, and Municipal Advisory
Council of Texas.
Applicable Criteria
Exposure Draft: U.S. Tax-Supported Rating Criteria (pub. 10 Sep 2015)
https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=869942
Tax-Supported Rating Criteria (pub. 14 Aug 2012)
https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=686015
U.S. Local Government Tax-Supported Rating Criteria (pub. 14 Aug 2012)
https://www.fitchratings.com/creditdesk/reports/report_frame.cfm?rpt_id=685314
Additional Disclosures
Dodd-Frank Rating Information Disclosure Form
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Solicitation Status
https://www.fitchratings.com/gws/en/disclosure/solicitation?pr_id=997145
Endorsement Policy
https://www.fitchratings.com/jsp/creditdesk/PolicyRegulation.faces?context=2&detail=31
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