This page is a direct response to the City of Hillsboro's "Data Centers in Hillsboro" page. It exists to refute the talking points local elected officials are pushing about land use, taxes and the supposed benefits of handing more of our community over to Big Tech. Each section below quotes a claim from the City and lays out what they're leaving out.
Industrial Land
Eighteen sites across 429 acres should concern residents. Industrial land is scarce. Data centers occupy huge plots while creating few permanent jobs per square foot. Each server farm displaces potential manufacturing, small business hubs or mixed‑use developments that could support homes and union‑scale employment.
Projection methodology: Hillsboro's modern data‑center era starts with the 2014 "Grand Bargain" UGB expansion and Digital Realty PDX10. From roughly 0 acres in 2014 to 429 acres in 2026 implies an average pace of ~36 acres/year. A conservative linear trend forward adds ~144 acres by 2030 (≈ 573 total). Recent growth has been faster than this average, so treat 144 as a floor, not a ceiling.
Data centers offer few permanent jobs, but they consume land, infrastructure and cheap power subsidised by public money. Under legislation co‑sponsored by State Senator Janeen Sollman, more than a thousand acres of farmland could be rezoned for data‑centre development. The pro‑data‑center politicians intend to accelerate the conversion of irreplaceable farmland into low‑employment server farms and lock the region into decades of tax abatements.
The City never weighs opportunity cost or offers alternatives for land use. Residents deserve to know what we're losing when so much of Hillsboro's industrial base is handed to low‑employment server farms.
Tax Abatements & Rolling Deals
Hillsboro's tax incentives are not as limited as suggested. Data center operators received over $7.2 billion in exempted value in 2025. Some facilities lock in back‑to‑back abatements by staggering "improvements" across multiple projects. In April 2026, six consecutive five‑year contracts were signed for a single campus, ensuring a 25‑year tax‑free period.[4] Another site's tax‑free status runs through 2051.[4]
Rolling deals turn a five‑year incentive into decades of subsidies. The City calls them "temporary," but companies can string them together indefinitely while residents and small businesses pay their full share.
Jobs Claims
The City cites statewide economic modeling instead of publishing local numbers. Construction jobs are short‑lived. Permanent on‑site employment is small compared with manufacturing or mixed‑industrial uses.
- Permanent Hillsboro jobs per site: not disclosed
- Jobs per acre: not disclosed
- Local resident employment: not disclosed
Without transparent job metrics, residents cannot assess whether industrial land is being used wisely. In a city facing housing scarcity and rising costs, every acre should create good jobs.
Data Demand
Digital demand is real. That doesn't require Hillsboro to subsidize server farms at public expense. Growth can be met with smarter policies: colocate computing near renewable generation, tax profits fairly, limit the footprint of energy‑intensive facilities and diversify local industry.
Growth is used like a magic word to shut down debate. Residents should ask: how many data centers do we actually need? The City sets no cap or limit.
Water Use
Even if current use is modest, demand will grow with each new project. Hillsboro's water system faces drought risk and aging infrastructure. Industrial users pay higher rates than households, but price tiers don't prevent strain on supply. Communities should prioritize secure drinking water and affordable housing ahead of corporate facilities.
The City answers a narrow question about present usage and ignores future cumulative demand, climate change and infrastructure stress.
Power & Rates
Electric rates reveal the inequity. Large industrial customers, including data centers, pay around 8 cents per kilowatt hour while households pay 19.6 cents per kWh.[5] Big Tech enjoys electricity more than twice as cheap as family homes. The POWER Act (HB 3546) promises new categories and surcharges but hasn't yet taken effect. Until mid‑2026, data centers continue to benefit from cut‑rate power.
The City never discloses the actual rates data centers pay. When households face shutoffs and steep bills, we cannot accept a system where corporate server farms get bargain power.
Community Fees & Programs
Community Service Fees and School Support Fees do bring in funding for good causes, but mitigation payments do not turn a bad deal into a good one. For each dollar extracted through fees, many more are waived in abatements. Stable public revenue should support schools, housing and climate resilience without depending on corporate goodwill.
The City lists the benefits without showing net revenue. How many teachers or firefighters could be hired with the taxes waived? Residents should demand a full balance sheet.
Approval Process
It is misleading to suggest hands were tied. The City Council and staff crafted and expanded the Enterprise Zone rules. They continued to approve deals even when residents sought a pause. Blaming process while ignoring policy choices is disingenuous.
It was a choice to create these incentives and maintain them. Leaders could pause subsidies, demand full taxes, require union labor or negotiate affordable housing contributions. They chose corporate giveaways instead.
Political Influence
The City's page reads like corporate PR. It downplays the magnitude of tax breaks and infrastructure subsidies. Powerful companies and chambers of commerce have outsized influence in local politics. Residents should demand disclosure of campaign donations and community‑benefit agreements to see who really benefits.
The page never addresses structural inequality. Big Tech is appeased because of its wealth, while workers, tenants and small businesses are left with rising costs and stagnant wages.
Big Data Politicians
Some elected officials actively support rezoning, tax breaks and infrastructure for data centers. Evidence of support comes from public statements, voting records and campaign contributions.
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Beach Pace Hillsboro MayorTestimony to lawmakers emphasized that farmland near Hillsboro had been studied and was ready for industrial expansion.[3]
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Steve Callaway Former Hillsboro Mayor (2017–24); Washington County Commission candidateMayor during the rapid expansion of Hillsboro's Enterprise Zone program and the bulk of data‑center tax‑abatement contracts now in force. As a 2026 candidate, framed abatements as outside county control while all other candidates expressed clear skepticism of data‑center expansion.[9]
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Janeen Sollman State Senator & former Hillsboro CouncilorCo‑sponsored a bill to rezone 1,700 acres in Hillsboro for data‑center construction.[1]
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Lacey Beaty Mayor of BeavertonCampaign finance records show large donations from Chambers of Commerce that lobby for data‑center incentives.[2]
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Ashley Hartmeier‑Prigg Beaverton CouncilorReceived major contributions from the chambers, aligning her with pro‑data‑center interests.[2]
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Lisa Reynolds Oregon State Senator (Beaverton/Portland)Another recipient of major contributions from chambers advocating for data centers.[2]
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Dan Dias Hillsboro Economic Development Director
Pursued data‑center tax deals, including rolling agreements that extend tax‑free status.[4]
Resistance Leaders
Local leaders pushing back against unchecked data‑center expansion and corporate giveaways. Support these candidates and officials working on behalf of residents.
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Kipperlyn Sinclair Hillsboro City CouncilorAn independent voice on the Hillsboro City Council willing to question incentives, push for transparency and represent residents over corporate interests.
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Myrna Muñoz Oregon Senate Candidate, District 15
Education consultant challenging Sen. Janeen Sollman in the Democratic primary, running on community accountability and pushing back on the data‑center status quo.
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Dr. Tammy Carpenter Oregon House District 27 CandidateAnesthesiologist and Beaverton School Board member running for HD‑27 against the chamber‑backed candidate, focused on healthcare, schools and people over Big Tech subsidies.
Beaverton & Hillsboro face a choice: hand our future to energy‑hungry facilities owned by giant corporations, or pursue balanced development that supports good jobs, affordable housing and sustainable infrastructure. A community‑first approach demands tough questions about incentives, land use and political influence. The City's page offers one story. Residents deserve the whole picture.
Sources: [1] Portland DSA — The Data Centrists · [2] Portland DSA — Campaign Finance Records · [3] Oregon Legislature — Public Testimony · [4] Hillsboro Herald — Tax Breaks Through 2051 · [5] Oregon Senate Democrats — POWER Act · [6] Mordor Intelligence — Northwest Data Center Market · [9] Hillsboro News-Times — Washington County District 4 candidate forum, Apr 2026