Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
St. Joseph County Council approves tax abatements and incentives for proposed Amazon data campus amid public concern
Summary
The council approved a package of resolutions and agreements enabling tax abatements and an enterprise information-technology exemption for an Amazon Data Services project, including a 50% real-property abatement for 10 years and an 85% tech-equipment exemption for 35 years; the measures passed 7–2 after public testimony raised concerns about the scale of breaks, jobs and water use.
St. Joseph County Council voted 7–2 on Aug. 13 to approve a set of measures backing a proposed Amazon Data Services investment in the county, adopting a confirming resolution, a memorandum of agreement and an enterprise information-technology exemption after presentations from county economic development staff and public comment.
Bill Schallio, the county's economic development director, described the project as a potential "$11,000,000,000 investment being proposed by Amazon Data Services," and presented the council with the package of documents that together would establish a 50% real-property abatement on data "shells" for 10 years, an 85% enterprise technology exemption on qualifying personal property for 35 years, and a community enhancement agreement. "What we're before you today doing is asking for a confirming resolution to…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
