Port Washington data center; residents pack meeting to protest tax district

Port Washington data center public comment

Residents on Tuesday protested Port Washington’s approval of a tax district for a $15B data center and backed a petition requiring public referendums for large future TIDs.

PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. - Port Washington officials again faced public scrutiny Tuesday night as dozens of residents filled a Common Council meeting to voice concerns about the city’s approval of a tax increment district for a $15 billion data center campus.

What we know:

The crowd was so large that the city moved the meeting from City Hall to the Lepanto Banquet Hall. 

No action was taken on the tax district on Tuesday because the Joint Review Board had already unanimously approved it earlier in the day, following the council’s earlier passage this month. But residents lined up to share concerns anyway, particularly about water use, energy demand and transparency.

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The Vantage Data Center project will need an estimated 3.5 gigawatts of electricity across four buildings on 670 acres – a scale many neighbors say they fear the city is unprepared to manage.

A local activist group, Great Lakes Neighbors United, recently submitted a petition with more than 1,000 signatures calling for future tax increment districts over $10 million to go to a public referendum. The petition will not affect the already approved district for the data center but aims to change how major TIDs are handled going forward.

What they're saying:

"[It’s] very frustrating to not be heard, very frustrating to know that when a big money corporation jumps in to solve small tiny budgetary problems – they own you," said Jennifer Borkanagan, a resident. "They own the town."

"Some people asked questions. A joint committee did meet at 4:00 and unanimously approved the TID district; that was represented by the school district, county and for the citizens at large," said Ted Neitzke, Port Washington’s mayor.

What's next:

The city clerk now has 15 days to review and validate the petition signatures. After that, the Common Council has 30 days to respond.