Bullock County
Pro-Data Center Policies
Bullock County may build or acquire facilities and support businesses financially, potentially helping attract data centers. These powers require voter approval and do not specifically target data centers, so any benefit is uncertain.
Incentives
Land discountsGrants and cash rebatesPreferential financing
Authorizes Bullock County, after voter approval, to give and convey acquired property, including real property, to individuals and businesses, and to lend its credit or to grant public moneys and things of value in aid of private beneficiaries for local economic development. General dam-building and county borrowing powers are not counted as additional incentives.
current law · County measureGrants Bullock County continuing authority to promote industrial, commercial, and agricultural development, subject to prior approval by a majority of qualified county electors voting in an election held for that purpose.Alabama Constitutional Amendment 128 (1957)
What this means
The measure could help Bullock County attract data centers by allowing it to build or acquire facilities and provide financial support to businesses (promote local development). But these powers require voter approval, and the measure does not specifically target data centers, so the benefit is substantial but not assured.
Restrictions & requirementsHide restrictions & requirements3
Any county action under the amendment—including acquiring or conveying property, promoting new industries, providing financial assistance, issuing debt, or creating a public authority—must first be approved by a majority of Bullock County voters participating in an election held for that purpose.
Debt issued under the amendment is limited to a principal amount not exceeding 50 percent of the assessed value of taxable property in Bullock County.
Any special county privilege license tax authorized under the amendment is limited to no more than 1 percent and must parallel the state sales and use taxes.
Benefits & exceptionsHide benefits & exceptions13
Subject to approval by a majority of Bullock County voters at an election, the county may purchase, construct, lease, or otherwise acquire real estate, buildings, facilities, machinery, equipment, and other property that could be used for data-center development.
The county may lease, sell, exchange, or convey acquired property to a person, firm, association, or corporation, including a data-center operator or developer.
The county may promote local industrial and commercial development and encourage the location of new industries or businesses.
The county may become a stockholder in a corporation, association, or company involved in an authorized development project.
The county may lend its credit or grant public money or other things of value to an individual, firm, association, or corporation, allowing public assistance for development projects.
The county may issue interest-bearing bonds, warrants, notes, or other debt to finance property acquisition or other authorized activities, up to a principal amount of 50 percent of the assessed value of taxable property in the county; the debt may be secured by the county's full faith and credit or limited to specified payment sources.
The county may impose a special privilege license tax of up to one percent, paralleling Alabama sales and use taxes, and may use the proceeds to support authorized development or repay related debt.
The county may pledge proceeds from the special tax and from renting or selling county property to repay authorized debt, and may be required to continue collecting the pledged tax until the debt is fully paid.
The county may construct dams and acquire dam sites on public streams in the county for water impoundment, hydroelectric power, recreation, or other purposes, and may accept federal grants, loans, or gifts for those projects.
The county may create a public authority or corporation and delegate to it the powers granted by the amendment, subject to limitations imposed by the county's governing body.
For authorized bonds and similar obligations, the recital that they were issued under the amendment or that an authorized tax was pledged is conclusive, so purchasers and holders do not need to investigate further.
Debt issued under the amendment is excluded from the county's indebtedness when determining its borrowing capacity under Alabama Constitution section 224.
The amendment is self-executing, while allowing the Legislature to enact supplemental laws in furtherance of its purposes.
Sources
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