DeKalb committee reviews proposal to capture data‑center revenue for local dividends, defers final vote

Commissioner Ted Terry presented a proposed fiscal policy the Finance, Audit and Budget Committee described as a way to ensure that revenue from large data centers and similar new industries benefits DeKalb County neighborhoods rather than flowing only to global corporate interests.

The policy would allocate 50% of new tax revenue from qualifying “high‑technology” data centers to community dividends for residents in nearby impact zones, 25% to core services such as police, fire and hospitals, and 25% to the county’s rainy‑day reserve. “If there are benefits that come from data centers, we want to make sure that the benefits are not just global benefits,” Terry said during his presentation.

Terry said the proposal would prioritize investment in communities within roughly a 3‑mile radius of a data center and in census tracts identified under Justice40 or similar social‑determinants‑of‑health indices; he also recommended favoring community benefit agreements over local tax abatements. He cited examples, including Henrico County’s use of data‑center revenue for affordable housing and recent corporate community benefit commitments from major technology companies.

Commissioners pressed for more specificity. Commissioner Shakira Johnson asked how “high‑technology data centers” would be categorized for finance and planning records so the county could reliably track affected parcels and revenues; Terry said planning and finance would need to work together to create a catalog of covered sites. Johnson also requested clearer language on Justice40 references, noting federal policy tools and maps have changed since 2023.

County Attorney Phillips cautioned that, as drafted, the measure is a fiscal policy rather than a binding law and would be considered annually during budget cycles; he said the law department will review any final text before the board adopts budget guidance. “From a technical legal perspective, we can look at this closely when it’s done,” Phillips said.

Several commissioners asked that Decide DeKalb and the Environmental Justice Commission be consulted. Commissioner Patrick urged the policy be written broadly enough to capture revenue from future boom industries beyond AI. Members also asked for an appendix or additional language to spell out the impact‑zone mapping, precise allocations within the core services category and how resident‑led decision processes for dividend spending would be structured.

After discussion, the committee voted by voice to defer item 2026‑0158 so staff and outside advisory bodies can review implementation details; the item was scheduled for the June 23 Board of Commissioners meeting. The committee chair said staff will provide additional analyses and mapping to inform future debate.

The committee adjourned after the deferral vote.