(Radio Iowa) - Zach Lahn - a Republican running for Iowa governor -- is raising concerns about the construction of data centers and he's suggesting new tax zones for the facilities.
Lahn says he'd raise property tax rates five fold on the land for data centers and use the proceeds to lower property taxes for people who live nearby. Lahn describes the current construction of two data centers near Cedar Rapids as a troubling sight where the topsoil has been ripped off 14-hundred acres of farmland for buildings that look like a military installation.
The data centers for Google and Q-T-S are being built in southwest Cedar Rapids. The City of Cedar Rapids has approved property tax rebates to Q-T-S worth more than half a billion over 20 years. Lahn says that's unacceptable, since the company has only pledged to create 30 full-time jobs once the facilities are operating.