Carroll County Fiscal Court has considered a community benefit agreement for DECA Companies' proposed $4 billion data center near Ghent. The agreement was tabled, and residents have raised concerns about the project. DECA says the project will not affect local utility rates and that the company will pay for required infrastructure upgrades.
What the Agreement Actually Locks In
The proposed agreement for DECA's planned data center campus near Ghent and Kentucky Highway 47 was tabled, according to WHAS11. San Francisco-based DECA is developing the project. DECA is seeking state tax incentives, though those incentives are not aimed at reducing the company's local tax burden.
DECA also plans to put $5 million into a community benefits fund, the station's report notes, and a company spokesperson said in a statement that the agreement reflects what the community said it wanted after months of engagement. Separately, DECA's own informational materials describe the project using a closed-loop cooling system, and the company says required infrastructure upgrades would be paid for by DECA rather than passed on to ratepayers, according to the Carroll News-Democrat.
Residents Push Back on Enforcement
Some residents opposed the project and preferred a moratorium. Residents also sought assurances about maximum noise levels.
Two Numbers, One Big Promise
Just how much the project may bring in depends on which estimate you consider. DECA expects roughly $41 million in annual tax revenue. A DECA-sponsored handout cited by the Carroll News-Democrat put the annual figure closer to $40 million. The estimates differ slightly.
A separate Madison Courier report describes an expected annual water draw of roughly 2 million to 8 million gallons for the separate Poe/PowerHouse data center proposal.
Carroll County's Crowded Data-Center Pipeline
DECA's project isn't the only hyperscale proposal eyeing Carroll County. Poe Companies and PowerHouse Data Centers have floated a separate $10 billion data center on 550 acres of farmland in Greens Bottom, near Carrollton and bordered by Interstate 71, the Kentucky River and Mill Creek, the Madison Courier reports. That project remains in preliminary stages, still working through regulatory and environmental reviews, with site groundwork tentatively planned for the second quarter of 2027 and vertical construction potentially starting by the end of that year if approvals come through.
More than 30 Kentucky counties and localities have passed temporary moratoriums on data-center projects, according to Louisville Public Media, reflecting concerns about electricity use, water consumption and utility bills.
The Brookings Institution has argued that community benefit agreements are necessary for data centers. Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has also had a data-center community benefits agreement. Whether Carroll County ultimately adopts terms that address residents' concerns remains unresolved.
