Bastrop County is hiring Philadelphia-based PFM Group Consulting to analyze budget and tax policies related to data center developments.
The details
During a March 9 meeting, the Bastrop County Commissioners approved a professional services agreement with PFM Group Consulting at a not to exceed value of $100,000 for the financial analysis and $9,000 for travel and reimbursable expenses, according to county documents.
“The county is interested in the long-term impact to the county’s tax base related to data center developments, including whether a proposed structure is in the county’s best interest over a ten-year, or other, period of time,” the professional services agreement says.
PFM Group Consulting will undertake several activities, including:
- Collecting relevant data and information
- Benchmarking similar data center developments, incentives and associated revenue
- Identifying tax incentive best practices
- Modeling revenue and tax rate impacts for the county and other taxpayers
- Communicating written findings and recommendations
What we know
A $1.4 billion data center campus in Cedar Creek is currently in the works.
The project—known as DFW33220N and being developed by Virginia-based data center provider EdgeConneX—will take between five to eight years to complete and span 2.8 million square feet, as previously reported by Community Impact.
Bastrop County Commissioners Court awarded EdgeConneX a 10-year property tax abatement based on project plans during a December 2024 meeting.
“We need more industry here to take the tax burden off our residents,” Precinct 4 Commissioner David Glass said at the time. “This is a project that’s got a B in the word, you know, billions. It’s not a small project.”
Todd Workman, spokesperson for EdgeConneX, told Glass and his peers the project would generate approximately $100 million for Bastrop ISD and $7 million for Bastrop County during the 10-year property tax abatement.
Also of note
PFM Group Consulting Managing Director Matthew Stitt told Bastrop County Auditor Jennifer Pacheco that his business has an extensive history of providing these financial analysis services to other state and local governments across the country, including:
- Prince William County, Virginia
- Loudoun County, Virginia
- Prince William County, Virginia
- State of Oklahoma
- Stafford County, Virginia
What else?
A targeted completion date for the financial analysis was not available as of press time.
