More gripes aired about data centers
It’s budget and tax time for Taylor, with the City Council setting public hearings in the coming weeks.
Under state law, a municipal budget must be in place by Oct. 1.
During the council’s Aug. 13 meeting, city leaders approved setting the 2026 maximum proposed property tax rate at the voter-approval figure of almost 58 cents per $100 valuation.
Also at the session, the council held more discussions on data-center developments.
Meanwhile, the tax rate set by the council represents the highest the city can authorize without triggering a public vote.
The proposed city budget was created based on a tax rate of slightly more than 58 cents per $100 valuation, which is the same rate the city set in 2025. However, Chief Financial Officer Robert Powers said setting the tax at a higher rate would give the city more leeway in the budget.
“As you know, there are no additional personnel in the budget. (Setting a higher tax rate) gives the council more time to digest what’s in and not in the proposed budget,” Powers told council members. “My recommendation would be that in any year, just to give council the most flexibility.” The taxable value of property in Taylor increased by 21.5% over last year, and $214 million in new property development or improvements was added to the tax base.
The council can still choose to set a lower tax rate but cannot raise the rate above the approved maximum.
A public hearing on the proposed budget will be held Aug. 27 and another on the proposed tax rate will be at the Sept. 10 council meetings.
The council normally meets 6 p.m. at City Hall, 400 Porter St.
Data center closed discussions held
The council retreated into executive session for consultations on the Big Watt Digital and Powerhouse Digital Data Center Development, formerly known as Project Mustang, and on KDC Taylor DC Investments Two, formerly known as Project Meridian.
The documentation said the discussion could include deliberation of the offer of financial or other incentives, or other financial information.
No discussion regarding the Project Mustang data center was held in open session, though several residents spoke out against continued data center development during the public comment session. Community advocate Carrie D’Anna likened council members and the Taylor Economic Development Corp. to the biblical story of Judas Iscariot.
“Today I see how versions of those 30 pieces of silver are responsible for evil in so many places,” she said. “Those pieces of silver become a compelling metaphor for many of the harms inflicted on innocent people because of enormous profit, that profits very few.”
Other members of the public took issue with the published noise levels the data center agreed to meet, claiming that even if the levels meet state requirements, they can still cause hearing damage and noise pollution.
Proponents say data centers are necessary for artificial intelligence, banking, communications and military use. Critics worry about drains on the water supply and power grid, as well as noise and other pollution.
Conservative pundits have gone so far as to say criticism of U.S. data centers is being covertly promoted — whether homegrown critics are aware or not — by communist China, which doesn’t want to lose the AI race to America.
Data centers in Taylor have become the subject of much controversy ever since neighbors protested the development of the Blueprint Projects Data Center in south Taylor on land many say was intended for a park.
Meanwhile, the council also remained behind closed doors to receive legal advice on potential annexation development agreements, with no details on which property parcels were affected.
The executive session included discussions concerning development and tax abatement agreements with iMarket America. The iMarket America complex has been presented as a manufacturing site.
