Residents urge wider and uncapped allocation of AI data‑center tax revenue; raise radius and advisory board concerns

Several residents addressed the Memphis City Council during public comment on Aug. 5 with concerns about a proposed ordinance governing revenue — described by speakers as tax or community investment revenue — from AI/data centers and related facilities. Dr. Kimberly Owens Pearson urged the council to direct a larger share of revenue to ZIP code 38109, describing the area as the "epicenter" of impacts from a nearby facility. She said the ordinance’s draft allocation — which she said would send 25% to 38109 and had a $100 million cap — was insufficient. "We do not want 25% in 38109, we want 100 of all the tax revenue," Dr. Owens Pearson said, adding that impacts are concentrated within 1–3 miles and asking the council to adopt a 1–3 mile radius rather than 1–5 miles. She also called for a community advisory board for the 38109 area to provide resident input on spending. Another commenter identifying herself as "Youre Again" (transcript: Yeargan) said an AI facility on Tulane Road should be included in the ordinance’s radius and urged the council to amend the draft before third reading to incorporate that facility. She said the Tulane Road facility is expected to be larger than the 38109 site and is currently excluded from the ordinance’s defined geography. Speakers framed their remarks as requests for stronger community investment, clearer geographic coverage and removal of an arbitrary cap on proceeds; one called the $100 million cap "asinine". These comments were given during the public‑comment section; no ordinance language was read into the record during the meeting and no vote on amendment was taken at the session. Item 8 on the consent agenda had been listed earlier as a zoning ordinance up for second reading, but the speakers referenced an ordinance on AI/data‑center revenue allocation as being under consideration. Council staff did not present a response on the record during the public‑comment period. The council did not amend or vote on the ordinance during the Aug. 5 session.