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Fulton County urges development authorities not to grant tax abatements to hyperscale data centers
Summary
The Board adopted an urging resolution Aug. 5 asking development authorities across Fulton County to decline tax abatements for large hyperscale data centers, citing fiscal responsibility, municipal land‑use prerogatives and limited permanent job creation; commissioners also heard staff analysis showing large assessed‑value increases from such projects.
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners voted Aug. 5 to urge development authorities within the county not to provide tax abatements or other financial incentives for hyperscale data‑center projects.
Commissioner Bridget Thorne, sponsor of the resolution, framed the measure as a fiscal and land‑use posture: "This resolution is really just an urging resolution," she said, adding that counties and cities should not subsidize projects that can benefit from state incentives and that abatements shift tax burden to homeowners and local services. Thorne referenced examples of major technology firms choosing Georgia for workforce and infrastructure and noted some companies have declined local abatements when state incentives were sufficient.
Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. offered a friendly amendment to extend the urging to all development authorities countywide; commissioners discussed defining "hyperscale" (servers, square footage) but accepted the amendment and approved the resolution 5‑0. County staff then presented assessment slides showing substantial growth in fair market value and personal property tied to hyperscaler projects in the tax rolls: staff estimated billions in additional fair market and personal‑property value, though a large share of taxable growth this year occurred inside tax‑allocation districts and may be subject to appeals or exemptions.
The resolution does not change zoning rules or development authority powers; it expresses the board’s policy preference toward using scarce local incentives for projects that demonstrably require them and provide broad public benefit.
