Traveling for work. Just read an article about a local town council unanimously voting in a new data center. Can't say no to jobs and money.
Jan 19 · 4 months ago
4 Comments ↓
Fear and greed, most likely
It's always amusing to follow the statistics of 'jobs' when corporations build out datacenters or even warehouses.
Generally the number of jobs for locals is around 10, because they usually bring in large contractors with their own workers -- while building out (which happens very fast), and when done, there are a handful of people on premises.
However, municipalities and townships collect fees and permits in the short run -- often after promising multi-decade tax breaks.
They wave the 'jobs' flag around so that people don't rise up and pitchfork them immediately. Which would be appropriate.
hope the council is ok with the social and electoral consequences of their constituents almost universally hating data centers once they're built?? lol
🍀 gritty [OP] · Jan 20 at 14:59:
the unions overwhelmingly supported it. no surprise there. I doubt the energy cost was really factored in but I imagine all the council members saw was tax revenue with jobs and approved. Voting against jobs and tax revenue from new businesses is political suicide.