City leaders hear from the public on data center project

By Randy Bell

Complaints about the way the City has handled Clinton’s data center project were a common theme during a public hearing March 16.  But mixed in with those concerns were statements of strong support for the project, which Mayor Will Purdie said would generate $2 million dollars for the City in the first year through a fee in lieu of taxes (FILOT) agreement, while the Clinton Public Schools would receive $3 million.

Purdie and the Board of Aldermen heard from sixteen speakers during the hearing, which was held during a Board work session.  Several of those who raised concerns about the data center accused the City of being too secretive, and one speaker said it felt like local residents “have been left in the dark.”

Jill Hiers said, “It’s unfortunate that we found out about this data center from the media and not through the people that we’ve elected to represent us.”

She recognizes that City leaders were limited in the details they could share because of non-disclosure agreements but feels there was still a way to get information out to the public.

“To have open communication and have maybe a town hall where you say, ‘Hey, this is what’s looking to come here.’  That’s appreciated,” said Hiers.

Hiers also questioned whether this would be the right type of business to bring into Clinton.

“The money is great. Don’t get me wrong.  [But] I think that everybody in this city needs to be a good steward.”

Hiers believes a company with only fifty employees might not be fully invested in the community.

“Things like [membership in] the Chamber or Rotary or, you know, sponsoring a Little League [team] or having a float in the Caterpillar Parade.  Those are what make good stewards.  Those are what create community.”

The Clinton Chamber of Commerce was well represented at the hearing.

Chamber Treasurer Nathan Cummins called the project “a great deal for Clinton,” and said the benefits would be numerous.

“I think we’re going to get additional workforce, we’re going to get additional revenue for the City that’s going to be used for infrastructure, our school district, our county,” said Cummins.

Cummins admitted there are a lot of concerns about the data center and said some of those concerns may be valid.   But, “At the end of the day, you’ve got to move forward, and this is one way we can do it.”

Chamber Secretary George Broadstreet thinks locating the data center in the old Delphi plant in the Clinton Industrial Park makes a lot of sense.

“You’re taking a building that has literally been unoccupied for decades, and you’re able to put something in there that is going to produce a tremendous amount of revenue for the City and for the school district and for Hinds County,” said Broadstreet.  “I think that’s great.”

Regarding the complaints about the secrecy which has surrounded the project, Broadstreet said, “Businesses are just real reluctant to get too far out in front of things before everything is put in place, and I think that’s fairly normal.  I realize that people today like transparency, they like knowing what’s going on; but, in reality, for these things to come to fruition, it’s a little bit difficult to do that.”

Purdie said there was really no other way to have approached the project.

“Certainly, I understand the frustration of the citizens and their desire to be involved on the front end,” said Purdie.  “And it’s just one of those situations where we have a representative democracy that’s our form of government, and we elect leaders that we trust to make those decisions for us.”

“I believe the Board and myself have been deliberative and correctly weighed the pros and cons,” continued Purdie.  “I think most folks, when they look at the facts of what is actually coming, will see this as a tremendous opportunity for the city.”

And the mayor said additional transparency might have jeopardized the data center.

As he put it, “To have done it any other way would have effectively disallowed the project.”