Committee approves voluntary $15M community‑benefit fund tied to data‑center project
The commission approved a voluntary memorandum committing $15 million over 12 years from a data‑center developer to a county-controlled community‑benefit fund; developer representative says the project is a roughly $2 billion investment and counsel clarified the county, not the developer, controls fund disbursement for public purposes.
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Commission counsel and a developer representative told the Committee of the Whole that a voluntary memorandum of understanding would create a $15,000,000 community-benefit fund for Wayne County — structured as $1.25 million per year for 12 years — alongside a large data‑center proposal. Counsel explained the memorandum is voluntary and not mandated by statute; any tax exemptions or approvals are not contingent on the county receiving the community benefits. “So the voluntary agreement is because [the developer] is a good corporate partner…they're not required by law to enter into a community benefit agreement,” the commission counsel said.
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