Trenton Council proposes tax cuts if ballot measure to ban data centers fails
Trenton City Council is considering tax cuts and other financial benefits that would take effect if voters reject Issue 17, a ballot measure that would ban large-scale data centers. The incentives are intended to support construction of two Amazon data centers, but residents and a legal expert questioned whether the proposal could violate Ohio election bribery laws.
Trenton voters will decide in November whether to approve Issue 17, which would ban large-scale data centers. The city has a 140-acre data center project planned in its industrial park and is seeking to annex another 600 acres for a potential additional project. Amazon Web Services is planning two data centers in the city.
The City Council introduced five resolutions offering benefits if the ban fails, including a one-year waiver of the city’s 3.24-mill general fund property tax, discounted YMCA memberships and a freeze on levy requests. Finance Director Matthew Mesklisk said the projects would expand the tax base, while resident Josh Bluhm argued the proposals could improperly influence the vote. Northern Kentucky University law professor Ken Katkin said the plan occupies a legally uncertain area under Ohio’s election bribery laws, though city officials said they are only explaining the ballot measure’s fiscal consequences.