Mason County, W.Va., voters approve school levy that could bring an extra $90 million from two data centers

L2Who’s affected

Who's affected: Mason County Schools and county taxpayers. The measure "is expected to bring in nearly $10 million per year in property taxes" and "it could even generate an extra $90 million, the state Treasurer’s Office had said" (WSAZ). Before the vote, WSAZ reported: "If the levy passes, Mason County Schools would be able to collect $450 million from the two data centers."

L3Why it’s quiet

Analysis · OVERLOOKED A county school levy, "the same tax levy that has been on the books for more than 70 years" (WSAZ), on a night dominated by national races. We found one local TV station reporting the result.

L4Deeper impact

Deeper impact: Under House Bill 2014, the 2025 state data-center law, "The money is contingent on voters passing the levy renewal" (West Virginia Press Association). Treasurer Larry Pack told WSAZ, "The data center will pay $90 million less in taxes if the levy fails." Pack also said, "If a county school board has no excess levy, they get zero money from the construction and operation of data centers in their county" (West Virginia Press Association). Board member Jared Billings told WSAZ, "If you’ve got that kind of money, I mean, these should be the best schools in the state of West Virginia." Billings said the levy money without the extra $90 million is "approximately 18 percent of the school board’s annual budget" (WSAZ).

L5Full context

Full context: The two data centers are "the Monarch Compute Campus, currently under construction, and the proposed Project Tamarack data center" (West Virginia Press Association). Last year the excess levy brought in $10 million, "meaning that the schools would get a 9-fold jump in levy revenue if the estimates are correct." HB 2014 splits data-center tax revenue "with the state getting 50% while the local county keeps 30%." "Opponents, however, have raised concerns about issues like water usage and pollution from the power plants"; Elaine Matheny of Mason United said that while she would vote for the levy, "it hasn’t changed her opposition to the projects" (West Virginia Press Association). Results are unofficial.

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