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Residents tell Franklin County commission data-center incentives will not deliver promised school revenue
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Summary
Public commenters at a Franklin County Commission meeting warned that state tax rules and Chapter 100 abatements mean hyperscale data centers often do not produce the large local school revenues developers promise, and urged commissioners to protect nearby homes and the county master plan.
Residents told Franklin County commissioners that proposed hyperscale data centers would impose lasting impacts on farmland, nearby homes and county services while delivering little of the promised local tax revenue.
"They get our land, they get our water, they strain our electrical grid," said April Reisenhoover, who identified herself during the public-comment period and urged the commission to "protect the future of Franklin County." She told commissioners that, under Missouri law and common incentive programs, large data centers frequently qualify for Chapter 100 tax abatements and sales-tax exemptions that sharply limit the property and equipment taxes local governments receive.
The warning was echoed by Amanda Lane, who said her elderly parents live about 500 feet from the boundary of the proposed Crooked Creek Data Center site. "This is not just a house on a map," Lane told commissioners. "This is their home of more than 50 years." She said noise, industrial activity and environmental changes would make it impossible for her parents to remain in the home they have cared for for decades.
Several commenters framed the issue as both fiscal and local: Jeff Hayden, who said he recently retired from union carpentry, asked commissioners to respect the county master plan and not rezone rural areas for heavy industrial use that would allow large data centers near long-standing residences.
Not all public remarks opposed development on technical grounds. Dean Steiger, introduced during the comment period, urged the commission to consider alternative power and cooling technologies that he said could reduce water use and noise, including plant-oil fuels and battery storage for backup power. He presented those as options that could address some community concerns if facilities are sited with local input.
Why it matters: Commenters said the combination of Chapter 100 abatements and a state sales-tax exemption for qualifying data centers can mean little net gain for local schools and services even when developers promise large tax revenues. Residents asked commissioners to weigh the human and landscape impacts alongside any economic pitch.
The commission did not vote on rezoning or development approvals during the meeting; after public comment, the body moved to a series of consent and action items.
