Elk Grove Village giving residents $200 gift cards funded by sale of two data centers
Elk Grove Village plans to give $200 gift cards to each of its 14,000 households, funded by $4 million in real estate transfer tax revenue from the sale of two data center properties. The program highlights the village's embrace of data centers, while critics question whether the distribution is politically timed and whether residents are simply receiving public money back.
Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson said the village will distribute $200 gift cards to all 14,000 households using revenue generated by the sale of two data center properties. The transactions produced about $4 million in real estate transfer taxes, while the village receives approximately $60 million annually in data center property taxes.
The village has 20 operating data centers and five more under construction, even as other Chicago-area suburbs pause new applications over environmental and electricity concerns. Jim Chilsen of the Citizens Utility Board warned that data center growth could increase electric bills without stronger state safeguards. Village board candidate Donata Latrofa questioned the timing of the gift cards ahead of the April municipal election and argued that the money was public revenue rather than a private windfall.