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No.
A $458 million tax incremental financing district the city of Port Washington approved in November 2025 for a massive data center will not be altered. However, future TIFs could allow voter input if a judge sides with voters instead of business and trade groups.
In an April 7 referendum, Port Washington voters approved giving residents a say in approving tax incremental financing districts of more than $10 million. That only applies to future projects, not the $458 million TIF the city already approved for the data center for OpenAI and Oracle.
What’s more, a judge reviewing a legal challenge from business and trade groups could strike down the referendum.
The bottom line: Voters might be allowed to give input on approving TIFs, but the ordinance is facing legal challenge, is not set in stone and doesn’t affect the data center already under construction.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- City of Port Washington: Notice of referendum
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Port Washington passes TIF referendum proposed by data center skeptics
- Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce: MMAC, regional stakeholders file suit against Port Washington
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