They need to pay the Mello Roos plus water bill and 20 years later, they need to pay the water bill. They also need to pay for the environmental and community impacts. As it stands, the water is often subsidized and they get reduced taxes, etc. Just Mello Roos is not okay. They need to pay Mello Roos and water and all the impact fees (environmental and social, as it pollutes and uses water/electricity and takes away from housing and jobs). No tax breaks and no subsidies. Personally, I think if they had to pay all that, they wouldn’t move in.
While I largely agree with your positions on this matter, there do exist some few examples of providers taking the high road you’ve recommended.
Not many, to be sure - greed took greater hold, in many a boardroom, in the wake of the so-called MBA Revolution - but some nonetheless.
It may not be at the very peak of that high road, but Microsoft just did a pretty good job on this. It’s a paywalled story from the Business Journal and I am way too cheap to pay for a free one!
" Microsoft redirects $5M incentive payment to property-tax relief in Mount Pleasant"
" 
By Rich Kirchen – Senior Reporter, Milwaukee Business Journal
Sep 28, 2026
Listen to this article 4 min
Story Highlights
What’s This?
- Microsoft will redirect $4.9 million in incentive payments to Mount Pleasant property tax relief.
- The village will use the funds to reduce tax levies starting in 2027 and fund capital projects.
- Over 550 employees work at Microsoft’s completed data center campus in Mount Pleasant.
Microsoft Corp.'s data centers in Mount Pleasant is scheduled to receive a $5 million “incentive payment” from the village this year — but company executives have said they will direct the cash to help provide tax relief for the village’s property owners.
Village officials in 2023 approved a development agreement with Microsoft that includes annual incentives of up to $5 million. Microsoft is eligible this year to receive the payment because its developments created more property value than required under the agreement, the village said in a Monday press release.
Mount Pleasant said Microsoft’s decision on the incentive will pave the way for the village to advance immediate and long-term property tax relief.
NEW MEMBER PERK: PORTFOLIO
Curated Benefits from Premium Brands
Enjoy exclusive discounts on business services, travel, and everyday essentials with Portfolio.
The company said it will return $4.9 million to the village in the spirit of Microsoft’s January announcement of its Community-First AI Infrastructure Initiative. That program includes a commitment to forego local property tax incentives in the communities in which Microsoft operates."
“The remaining $100,000 will go to the Racine County Economic Development Corp. for economic development initiatives, the village said in a press release.”
This is an interesting read… the data centers get (surprise!) big tax breaks if they build in rural areas.
There are a lot of people I know who voted for a certain party because they did not believe in governmental regulations. They wanted open land free for themselves to enjoy without having to worry about environmental impacts. The problem is without regulations, they still lose that land, because now it gets sold and becomes private property and with no regulations on industry, the land is destroyed forever. The little guy is voting for freedoms (because they want to enjoy the land), but it becomes freedom only for the big players.
While I agree with you 100%, that is simply not going to happen in this political environment. Tesla, Chevron, Boeing Defense, all are relocated based on states subsiding corporations to move in with taxpayer dollars. Who am I or you, to tell a resident of Texas what they can and can’t do with their property taxes, if they want to give it to Tesla, for more rolling metal door wedges?
Not a shocker since we allowed money to equate to speech in 2010. I think there is a lot of FO’ing going on years after the FA happened in FAFO.
To be fair, SCOTUS’ Citizens United decision to overturn certain provisions of BCRA (aka the “Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002,” colloquially referred to as ‘McCain-Feingold’) hewed closely to preceding precedent since the 18th Century (and longer-still before, across the pond).
I remain unconvinced that what we’ve done b4 on this front is the best approach…
So many lies, I won’t even waste my time counting them, let alone react to them.
Well, all of these promises negate Amazon’s earlier promises about carbon neutrality, so they’re clearly not worth the e-paper they’re wiped on.
And from a Business Journal story today, Amazon is feeling a little pressure. I’m sure it will hit a paywall but for some reason mine was unlocked.
“Amazon shifts data center strategy while Phoenix sites remain in limbo”
Story Highlights
What’s This?
Amazon Web Services will distribute over $1 billion to communities hosting new data centers
Amazon will stop using nondisclosure agreements with local governments in data center planning processes
An artificial intelligence infrastructure company bought a Phoenix data center site for $22.75 million
“Amazon will no longer use nondisclosure agreements with local governments involved in the planning and permitting process for data center projects, according to the post. The tech firm also says it is now committed to distributing more than $1 billion over the next five years throughout local communities where it is building new data centers. Those funds are intended to go toward workforce training, energy affordability and water solutions for municipalities that welcome the facilities.”
I assume these non-binding promises will take the form of “societal benefits” or whatever they want to call it to avoid giving actual money.