Perry Village Issue 16: Data Center Bond Vote Explained
Perry Village voters will decide Issue 16, which would require data center developers seeking tax incentives to post a 31-year bond covering projected tax revenue, jobs and potential community costs. The measure is part of broader opposition to Province Group's proposed hyperscale data center at the former Champion Farm site, while the village has separately enacted a one-year moratorium on new data center applications that excludes that property.
Perry Village voters are scheduled to decide Issue 16 on whether data center developers seeking tax incentives must post a bond lasting 31 years. The proposed ordinance would apply to facilities exceeding 10,000 square feet, 5,000 servers or 50 megawatts, and would require guarantees for projected tax revenue and employment, as well as noise limits and potential payments for environmental, property-value and quality-of-life impacts.
The ballot issue emerged amid opposition to Province Group's proposal for six 250,000-square-foot data center buildings on more than 200 acres at the former Champion Farm nursery. Organizer John Nicely of Protect Perry and Lake Erie helped submit the signatures needed to place the measure on the ballot and has cited concerns about noise, water use, diesel generators, tax incentives and possible blight. Perry officials declined to offer tax abatements for the project, and the village council later enacted a one-year moratorium on new data center applications, though the Champion Farm property was specifically excluded. Nearby North Perry Village and Painesville Township also adopted moratoriums, while Ohio utility regulators have established separate financial and contractual requirements for data center customers served by AEP Ohio.