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Madison County officials say AWS projects brought infrastructure and jobs — but questions remain
Summary
Madison County economic director Joey Deason and local officials described land purchases, sale prices and job commitments tied to AWS in Canton and Ridgeland, saying local workers have filled many positions and that infrastructure investments were negotiated, not donated.
Joey Deason, executive director of the Madison County Economic Development Authority, told the task force he worked to correct misinformation about the Canton and Ridgeland AWS projects and described the county’s land and sale process. Deason said Madison County purchased roughly 850 acres for the site and sold most of it to AWS at about $30,000 per acre after earlier sunk costs and appraisals; he said sunk costs were nearer $12,000 per acre before the sale to AWS.
Deason confirmed workforce figures for the Madison County campus: he cited an announced 1,700 jobs for a stated second phase, with about 750 already hired and roughly 60% of hires coming from Mississippi. He also reiterated that the Canton facilities will use recycled water for cooling at the site, and that locally negotiated fees and the loan package are repaying infrastructure investments. "Directly from AWS's HR team…they've been amazed at the level of talent that they have located directly here in Mississippi," Deason said.
Local mayors and county officials who testified later echoed Deason’s theme: when a site is well chosen and negotiated, data-center projects can finance water and sewer upgrades and other infrastructure that local governments otherwise would struggle to afford.
