Fulton commissioners want every development authority to refuse data center tax breaks. Alpharetta's authority hears the request Thursday, with no vote set.
Fulton County commissioners want every development authority in the county to stop offering tax breaks to data centers. That request reaches Alpharetta’s own Development Authority on Thursday.
The Development Authority of Alpharetta meets at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, in the council chambers at City Hall, 2 Park Plaza. The Fulton County resolution is item 5A on the agenda and packet. It is listed for information only. The staff report says no action is requested.
What Fulton County approved
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners approved the resolution Aug. 5. The vote was 5-0, with Commissioner Arrington amending it to cover every development authority in the county, not only the county’s own. Commissioner Bridget Thorne of District 1 sponsored it. The clerk to the commission sent a copy to Alpharetta City Hall on Sept. 24, the letter in the packet shows.
The resolution asks every development authority in Fulton County and its cities to decline to “entertain, consider, negotiate, or approve” any of these for a data center project:
- an application or inducement resolution
- a bond validation
- a lease-purchase deal
- any other financial incentive
It also says the commissioners will not support or endorse any such incentive. It is not binding. The text says it does not limit any authority’s legal powers and does not touch incentives approved before Aug. 5.
The county’s reasons
The resolution gives these reasons, among others:
- Zoning decisions on data centers belong to the cities, not the county.
- Roswell and Milton have adopted moratoriums pausing new data center projects.
- Residents have raised concerns about electricity and water demand, noise, traffic and how data centers fit next to neighborhoods.
- The state already exempts qualifying data center equipment from sales tax.
- Large data center companies have said local tax breaks do not decide where they build.
The resolution puts a figure on the state exemption. It cites state fiscal projections of about $2.5 billion in sales tax forgone in fiscal 2026 alone. Of that, $1.1 billion is lost to county and city sales tax pools and $1.4 billion to the state.
Why it matters in Alpharetta
Georgia development authorities can offer property tax incentives to businesses. Alpharetta’s authority adopted its own Property Tax Incentives Procedures and Policies on Sept. 21, by a 6-0 vote, according to the unofficial minutes of that meeting in Thursday’s packet.
Data centers are already before the city. On Monday, Nov. 16, the City Council is due to decide a Georgia Power substation for the data center at 4905 North Point Parkway. Our story on the Kimball Bridge Road substation has the details.
The authority has modest cash of its own. Its finance report for August shows a fund balance of $382,441. Of that, $300,745 is unallocated and available for the board to invest. The rest covers a $50,000 Connect Forward grant program and $31,695 set aside for a market feasibility study.
Also on Thursday’s agenda
- Training. State law requires each member to complete at least two hours of continuing training on development programs every year. Staff will find courses and help members register.
- 2027 meeting schedule. The board is to set next year’s dates.
- Lights on the Loop. The September minutes record a $25,000 contribution to the Alpha Loop Foundation, approved 4-0. Two members who sit on the foundation’s board recused themselves. The foundation’s presentation says the holiday light walk runs Dec. 4 to Jan. 4 and expects more than 41,000 visitors. Our Lights on the Loop guide has hours and parking.
The next meeting after Thursday is set for Thursday, Dec. 10.
What it means for you
- You can speak. Public comment is item 4, near the start of the 6 p.m. meeting.
- No decision Thursday. The data center item is information only. Any data center incentive would need its own application before the authority.
- Watch it later. The city posts meeting recordings on its YouTube channel, the minutes say.
- The substation vote is the one with a decision. That is the City Council on Nov. 16. Our public notices page lists upcoming hearings.
Have your say