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Morgan County Council approves declaratory resolution to start abatement process for proposed data center
Summary
On May 5, 2025, the Morgan County Council approved Resolution 2025-5-5, a declaratory resolution creating an economic revitalization area to begin the county’s tax-abatement process for a proposed data center; the measure does not obligate the council to grant any abatement.
The Morgan County Council voted 6-0 on May 5, 2025, to approve Resolution 2025-5-5, a declaratory resolution that begins the county process for designating an economic revitalization area tied to a proposed data center. Josh, a county staff member who presented the item, said the resolution "obligates us to nothing in the future" and simply starts the statutory process that can later lead to an abatement if the council chooses.
The resolution’s approval moves the matter to the public-notice and hearing stages required under state law for tax abatement consideration. Josh told the council the developer is targeting a closing in early June and would like to schedule a special meeting in May to continue negotiations and consider next steps; council members discussed availability and room scheduling for a May meeting. Josh also said Commissioner Collier has been discussing statewide changes tied to Senate Bill 1 that he said increase the importance of supporting local business growth.
Council members asked for and received a short list of corrections made to the draft resolution before the vote: the county named in one section was corrected after staff discovered the text had been copied from another county’s template, a typo on page two was fixed, and an incorrectly listed electrical substation was removed. Rick Hall revised the document earlier the day of the meeting, the presenter said.
Royce Merkel made the motion to approve the declaratory resolution; Melissa Green seconded. The measure carried 6-0. The clerk recorded the item as Resolution 2025-5-5. No abatement or tax relief was granted by this vote; this resolution only authorizes the county to continue the formal process that could lead to a future abatement subject to public hearing and a confirmatory resolution.
Council members and staff emphasized that separate negotiations with the project team are ongoing and that any abatement would be considered only after the statutorily required public notice and hearing process. The presenter advised that financial and negotiation details are still being discussed and are not finalized.
