Port Washington voters restrict data center tax breaks
Voters in Port Washington, Wisconsin, approved a measure restricting future data center tax breaks, requiring voter approval for new incentives. This action aims to push back against artificial intelligence development in the city, though an existing OpenAI and Oracle project remains unaffected.
Voters in Port Washington, a small Wisconsin city near Milwaukee, have overwhelmingly approved a measure that restricts future tax breaks for data centers. The ballot initiative passed by a two-to-one margin, reflecting a pushback against the expansion of artificial intelligence infrastructure in the region.
The newly approved measure mandates that city leaders must obtain voter approval before offering tax incentives to any future data center developers. This restriction, however, does not affect an already planned $15 billion data center campus involving OpenAI and Oracle, which is reportedly backed by Donald Trump. Data center critics view this vote as a significant step to control development.