West Feliciana Parish Council and Industrial Development Board accept agreement for payment from data center

The West Feliciana Parish Council and Industrial Development Board have approved a cooperative endeavor agreement with Hut 8, the developer of a new AI data center. This agreement facilitates an early payment of $10 million to the parish through a Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) program, a significant acceleration from the initially expected payment date of July 2027.

The prepayment, anticipated to arrive by July 1, 2026, will be distributed among several parish entities. Of the $10 million, $5.3 million is allocated to the Parish School Board, $3.9 million to the Parish Government, and $800,000 to the Law Enforcement District. Parish officials indicated that the funds designated for the Parish Government could be used for critical infrastructure improvements, such as road repairs.

Danny Garrett, acting as the attorney for the Industrial Development Board, noted that other parties involved in the agreement, including the Sheriff and the School Board, must also sign off on the terms. The full annual payments from the data center are slated to begin in 2027. In return for the $10 million prepayment, the board, law enforcement, and school board have agreed to reimbursement obligations if future payments on July 1, 2027, are at or above $30 million.