Chesterfield County defers data center tax revenue vote again

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Chesterfield County's Board of Supervisors deferred a vote Wednesday on how to spend tax revenue collected from data centers, pushing the decision to November 18.

The discussion, continued from last month, has sparked debate among both residents and board members about the best use of the funds.

Board member Jim Ingle supports the county's original plan to use the money to lower the car tax.

"I am still committed to the original thought process. But I am listening and talking to other people. Ultimately though, what I am committed to is making sure we give some relief to our citizens," Ingle said.

Board Member Jessica Schneider argued that a car tax reduction would not benefit everyone equally.

"I know the car I had when I was a single mom, I wouldn't have been charged any tax at all," Schneider said.

Schneider proposed directing the funds toward community resources that more residents could access.

"More parks for people to enjoy time in, or sidewalks to be able to walk or ride their bikes with their kids, or extra firefighters, or things that keep us safe in our community," Schneider said.

Board Member LeQuan Hylton agreed and raised additional priorities.

"We have to look at the housing affordibility in our districts and our county. We have to look at insuring we have a high quality of life for citizens," Hylton said.

The revenue in question comes from 3 Google data center campuses in the county, though Vice Chair Kevin Carroll noted the timeline for that money remains uncertain.

"Those data centers aren't going to come out of the ground for a long time because Dominion doesn't have the energy to power them," Carroll said.

Chair Mark Miller cited that uncertainty as a reason to delay the vote and made a motion to defer.

"To force a decision when the board was still in process, didn't feel clean to me," Miller said.

The board agreed to defer the vote until November 18.

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