[0:00] I'm Commissioner Vincent. I'm the board

[0:01] chair. So, just a couple of

[0:04] things to note to begin with.

[0:09] If you start to chant or if you get out

[0:12] of control, you are in our chambers,

[0:15] okay? At the point that you start to do

[0:18] that and become disruptive, one of our

[0:20] wonderful deputies will escort you from

[0:23] the chambers.

[0:24] So,

[0:26] we are here to discuss some things

[0:28] today.

[0:29] We

[0:31] are all [clears throat] part of this

[0:32] county

[0:33] and we all need to be considerate of one

[0:35] another.

[0:36] That includes your three commissioners

[0:38] and those people in this room.

[0:40] There are differing opinions going

[0:43] either way on things

[0:46] and we appreciate that. That's why we

[0:48] live in the country that we live in. Is

[0:49] that not correct? Yes. So, at the end of

[0:53] the day, everybody has an opinion.

[0:54] Everybody has their concern about the

[0:56] things that go on in our country and

[0:59] that's why we live here and uh

[1:02] and so, we need to respect one another.

[1:04] At the point that you become unruly and

[1:07] start yelling or you start chanting, at

[1:10] that point, you will be removed. So, if

[1:13] that does happen to you and you're

[1:15] frustrated and upset, understand that

[1:17] you have been warned.

[1:18] So, that is the direction we'll be going

[1:21] today.

[1:24] Okay.

[1:26] Agenda items.

[1:29] Interlocal agreement number 26-15

[1:32] between Box Elder County and the

[1:34] Military Installation Development

[1:36] Authority MIDA relating to

[1:41] the status project

[1:43] and then also discussing a resolution

[1:45] 26-11.

[1:47] Box Elder County Commission consent to

[1:49] the Military Installation Development

[1:52] Authority Stratus project. What we're to have is Paul here.

[1:58] Okay.

[2:00] Hillary, can you come up and just kind

[2:01] of discuss some of this with us and

[2:03] let's just talk about some things and

[2:14] I've also asked Austin Pritchett

[2:16] Introduce yourself. Yes, my name is

[2:18] Hillary Venable. I'm here on behalf of

[2:20] my dad. I'm a project area director with our team. I've also asked

[2:26] Austin Pritchett if he'll come sit with

[2:27] me if there's any technical questions,

[2:29] he may answer those

[2:32] in more depth. If that's appropriate.

[2:36] That's fine.

[2:37] Are you good with Austin being up here?

[2:38] No, that's not a problem. It's great.

[2:42] Well, I appreciate this opportunity to

[2:44] speak to you commissioners again and go

[2:47] over the project. I know we've had two

[2:50] wonderful meetings

[2:53] last week where we were able to explain

[2:56] the project and in depth not only here

[2:59] but also in our board meeting and so I'm very grateful and for the

[3:04] opportunity to once again share the

[3:05] information. We'll go over an overview

[3:08] quickly and then if there's any

[3:09] questions at the end we'll

[3:11] will Austin and I will answer your

[3:13] questions.

[3:15] So, I will stay keep my remarks focused

[3:17] on three things. What the purpose of

[3:19] this project area is. Why inviting my

[3:22] dad to be why my dad was involved

[3:25] invited to be involved and how the

[3:26] potential project will align with your

[3:28] priorities here in Box Elder County and

[3:31] your vision for this community's future.

[3:34] To provide some context my dad receives

[3:36] a high volume of increase to create

[3:40] project areas on a regular basis.

[3:42] >> you please explain to them what my dad

[3:44] means? Yes, I will actually. Thank you.

[3:47] My dad military installation development

[3:50] authority

[3:51] Uh, it was created by legislation in

[3:54] 2007, actually at the time when Hill Air

[3:57] Force Base was uh,

[3:59] in

[4:00] jeopardy of of it was on the BRAC list.

[4:04] At that point, uh, they realized they

[4:06] needed to do something to make sure that

[4:07] never happened again. MAIDA was created,

[4:10] um, to help bring in, um,

[4:12] revenue where otherwise would not be

[4:15] recognized to help the build and rebuild

[4:18] the in- infrastructure on the base.

[4:21] Um, that being said, we uh, there along

[4:24] Falcon Hill, we have what's called an

[4:26] enhanced use lease where we're able to

[4:29] develop on uh, otherwise, uh, federal

[4:32] land that would not be able to be

[4:34] developed on. And now those revenues

[4:36] have

[4:37] um, created the opportunity for us to

[4:40] replace the old

[4:41] uh, World War

[4:42] II dilapidated buildings that are there.

[4:44] They're 1200 series. We actually just

[4:47] broke ground, um, this month or I'm

[4:49] sorry, we're April now, in March, on the

[4:51] first replace- replacement building.

[4:53] That building is going to

[4:56] um, be able to rehome 6800 employees,

[5:00] um, with the um, with other replacement

[5:02] buildings following behind it. Um,

[5:04] that's what's wonderful about this

[5:05] opportunity to create a revenue source for our

[5:09] military. So, back to what MAIDA is, we

[5:12] were created specifically to, um,

[5:16] to, uh, provide benefit to the military

[5:19] and also economic,

[5:22] growth and development with for the

[5:24] community it surrounds.

[5:26] Um,

[5:27] what we're what we're discussing today

[5:29] is a very special opportunity.

[5:32] We believe that with this project,

[5:35] MAIDA, Box Elder County, and the state

[5:37] of Utah can come together to strengthen

[5:39] military mission,

[5:40] support long-term economic growth, all

[5:43] while pres- preserving agriculture and,

[5:46] uh, conservation values.

[5:48] Uh,

[5:48] >> [crying]

[5:48] >> now we've talked a [laughter] little bit

[5:49] about what MAIDA is,

[5:52] but we I one thing I wanted you to know

[5:54] is that we do operate as a land use

[5:57] authority within our designated project

[5:59] areas, but we do not act unilaterally.

[6:03] Our involvement is structured,

[6:05] deliberate, and based on partnership and

[6:07] alignment with landowners and local

[6:09] leadership.

[6:11] If that alignment is not there,

[6:13] we do not move forward in the creation

[6:15] of a project area.

[6:17] So, what this project is,

[6:20] the proposed Stratus project area

[6:21] encompasses approximately 40,000 acres

[6:24] in unincorporated Box Elder County.

[6:27] The project centers on the development

[6:28] of a large data center campus

[6:31] supporting AI and cloud computing with

[6:34] on-site energy generation, so it can

[6:37] largely power itself.

[6:40] The proposed area is a strong fit.

[6:42] Actually, it will power itself. The

[6:44] proposed area is a strong fit for this type of development, close to

[6:48] existing natural gas infrastructure,

[6:51] including the Ruby pipeline, supporting

[6:54] supported by long-haul fiber, and

[6:56] located away from the population centers

[6:58] while still accessible to the workforce.

[7:01] At full build-out, the Utah site is

[7:03] planned to support up to 7 and 1/2 to 8

[7:06] gigawatts of power.

[7:08] At a high level, this is about placing

[7:10] the right infrastructure in the right

[7:12] location where it can operate

[7:14] efficiently and with minimal impact to

[7:16] surrounding communities. MAIDA's

[7:19] involvement is specific. This type of

[7:21] infrastructure infrastructure

[7:23] directly supports energy resilience

[7:26] and mission-critical systems tied to

[7:28] military operations.

[7:30] And importantly,

[7:31] in addition to your support,

[7:33] commissioners, we require 100% consent

[7:36] from all participating landowners

[7:39] and [clears throat] the county.

[7:41] We have the landowners'

[7:42] today. We're here for your consent.

[7:47] At its core, this project is about

[7:49] infrastructure that supports military

[7:50] mission, not indirectly, but by design.

[7:54] Reliable energy and secure data systems

[7:56] are no longer optional.

[7:58] They are part of the foundation of how

[8:00] national defense operates today.

[8:06] I want to take a moment to address a few

[8:08] items we understand are very important

[8:10] and concern in the county.

[8:13] First, agriculture.

[8:15] We recognize the importance of

[8:16] agriculture and ranching in this area,

[8:19] and the project has been structured with an agricultural first approach.

[8:24] Development will occur in phase

[8:25] increments, not all at once. Land is not

[8:28] active Land that is not actively under

[8:29] construction will remain in active agricultural use, preserving

[8:34] the region's identity as a working rural

[8:37] landscape, and continuing to support the

[8:39] local agricultural economy.

[8:42] In the our standards and guidelines that

[8:44] will be adopted with this project,

[8:47] agriculture is a permitted use.

[8:50] Um like unto the county's code and

[8:53] regulations currently.

[8:56] Existing ranchers will continue grazing

[8:57] and operating as they do today. The

[8:59] project is is expected to incorporate

[9:02] leaseback agreements, allowing

[9:04] agricultural use of the land to continue

[9:06] throughout the development timeline.

[9:09] The intent is to ensure

[9:10] multi-generational ranching operations

[9:12] remain uninterrupted.

[9:14] And the local agricultural productivity

[9:16] and income stability are maintained with

[9:18] many employment opportunities within the

[9:21] new

[9:22] development.

[9:24] The second area of concern that we've been aware of is that we

[9:29] understand that you're worried about

[9:31] local control and revenue sharing.

[9:34] These are addressed through an

[9:36] interlocal agreement

[9:38] that clearly defines roles and

[9:39] responsibilities, my district's roles,

[9:42] and the county's roles.

[9:44] That includes the creation of a strong

[9:46] local expert participation on a

[9:48] development review committee, corner

[9:50] coordinated on how municipal services

[9:52] are delivered coordination, I'm sorry,

[9:54] on how municipal services are delivered,

[9:56] and a funding structure that not only

[9:58] covers those services,

[10:00] but can also supply county priorities.

[10:04] Whether this is conservation, schools,

[10:05] or or or whatever the county is needing.

[10:09] In In In essence, we will we will create

[10:13] a a review committee that encompasses

[10:15] your planner, your fire

[10:18] marshal,

[10:19] your engineer, and we will approve those

[10:22] site plans in the master development

[10:24] together.

[10:25] Um and the municipal as far as the

[10:28] municipal services, um the county will incorporate the municipal services

[10:35] for the development just as they do for

[10:38] anywhere else in the county. And

[10:40] anything additional with the the fund

[10:42] the revenues received is at the county's

[10:44] discretion on where where it need is

[10:47] needed to be placed in the county.

[10:50] Uh

[10:53] What about the toll on natural

[10:54] resources? I'm

[10:56] >> You're You're interrupting my meeting.

[10:58] The next time you'll be removed.

[11:01] I'm actually grateful for that question

[11:03] because it was my next point that I was

[11:04] going to make. Water is critical. It's a

[11:07] critical issue in this region. We

[11:08] understand that, and it's become

[11:10] actually the center focus of of this

[11:12] project. The data centers are expected

[11:15] to use

[11:17] close-loop cooling systems. That means

[11:19] water is brought in initially, but then

[11:21] reused over and over again rather than

[11:23] continually consumed.

[11:25] Because of that, the long-term water

[11:26] demand is expected to be closer to what

[11:28] you would see from a large office

[11:30] campus, not a traditional industrial

[11:32] use.

[11:33] So, to that point,

[11:36] I want Austin to explain what a close

[11:38] loop close loop system looks like and

[11:41] then also with the energy portion of it,

[11:44] the cooling system is air cooling so

[11:46] there won't be [crying] any water use on

[11:48] that. So, Austin, if you wouldn't mind

[11:51] Yeah, exactly. It's It's not lost on us

[11:54] that the water in the area is restricted. We have

[11:59] many water rights that we are purchasing

[12:02] with the project

[12:03] and of those water rights a very small

[12:05] fraction will be used.

[12:08] And a lot of that will be taken from

[12:09] very alkaline base water and cleaned up

[12:12] and shared with neighboring ranchers and actually a net positive back to the

[12:16] lake at the end of the day.

[12:18] So, a lot of people are concerned about

[12:19] the water use with

[12:21] power generation. There's new air

[12:24] cooling technologies that are zero

[12:26] water.

[12:27] And in a worst case if we had to be

[12:30] further down the line for those

[12:31] technologies

[12:33] even if we had to use

[12:35] a water using type technology, we're

[12:37] massively

[12:39] over watered by the amount of water

[12:41] rights we have and it will go back to

[12:43] the lake as a net positive over what its

[12:45] prior use was. So, Austin, do you have a number? [clears throat] I mean, acre

[12:52] feet in gallons and

[12:54] >> So, we have on site we've got about

[12:58] 3,000 acre feet

[13:01] that we're purchasing.

[13:03] Up the road we've got other acre feet

[13:06] about 10,000 acre feet in

[13:09] up in Snowville that we have under

[13:10] contract if needed but we just on the on

[13:13] site water we should be

[13:15] well over served.

[13:18] If we get these newer technologies we're

[13:20] talking closer at full build out to the

[13:24] amount of water rights it would take for

[13:25] one farm pivot. So,

[13:27] >> Where's that research coming from? She's

[13:28] got to go.

[13:30] I'm hearing a lot of ifs, shoulds, Okay,

[13:34] we're answering questions, okay? This is

[13:36] not We're not going to be taking a bunch

[13:38] of public comment. We're answering

[13:40] questions right now. This is a meeting.

[13:43] So, if you will please, we've got a lot

[13:45] of questions the commission will be

[13:46] asking. So, please be patient and listen

[13:50] to what's going on. I don't want to have

[13:52] to remove you.

[13:54] Is there going to be public comment?

[13:56] was held last week. So,

[13:58] just let us walk through this, okay?

[14:01] [laughter]

[14:05] Last week in our We had public hearing

[14:08] where we had public comment last week um

[14:11] in our commission meeting. This was This

[14:13] was put out to the public. We had a

[14:16] public comment period last week. We did

[14:18] that last week. So, at the end of the

[14:20] day, please

[14:21] >> public comment.

[14:22] I didn't hear anything about it.

[14:24] was noticed. I didn't hear anything.

[14:30] I'm sorry. It was noticed and it was put

[14:32] out. We had a public comment period last

[14:34] week.

[14:35] So, please be

[14:38] One more comment out of you, you'll be

[14:40] removed. Please be patient, listen to

[14:43] what we're presenting and what Maydis presenting, and let us go

[14:48] forward. Do not interrupt the meeting.

[14:50] Let us go through this and discuss this.

[14:55] Okay, so there is no if on a net

[14:57] positive on water. The exact technology

[15:00] partnerships of the newer power

[15:02] technology are not totally solidified,

[15:05] so there's a few different options. So,

[15:06] only reason I say if, but we're very

[15:08] close on the zero water solutions.

[15:10] >> And then also desalinization, you guys

[15:12] mentioned something about desalinization

[15:14] of waters and stuff like that.

[15:15] >> have water treatment on site cuz where

[15:17] we're pulling from is very alkaline

[15:20] salinated water and we'll be

[15:22] cleaning it up.

[15:23] Is there any water being taken from the

[15:25] Great Salt Lake for this? No. Cuz that's

[15:27] been we've had a lot of questions about

[15:29] us pulling water from the Great Salt

[15:30] Lake. Yeah, no no water is being taken

[15:32] from the lake.

[15:35] The goal is to operate in a water ways a

[15:37] water ways way and we

[15:40] have assurance that we will utilize less

[15:43] than like like Austin [laughter]

[15:45] mentioned

[15:46] what is needed for one farm pivot.

[15:51] Let's move on to the power concerns. I

[15:52] know there's concerns of how this might affect [laughter] the community

[15:59] if their rates will increase or or if it

[16:01] will have a impact on the power grid.

[16:04] This project is designed to generate its

[16:07] power on site. It will not be connected

[16:09] to the grid and it and it will and it

[16:12] will operate from its own power

[16:16] generation.

[16:17] That means it will not rely on the

[16:19] existing grid. Instead, it produces the

[16:22] energy it needs directly at the campus.

[16:25] The intent behind that is simple. It

[16:26] allows the project to move forward

[16:28] without placing additional demands on

[16:30] local power systems.

[16:32] So in practical terms, that means no

[16:34] added pressure on the grid, no increase

[16:36] in electrical rates for residents and

[16:38] businesses and no reduction in

[16:39] reliability for homes, farms or

[16:41] communities.

[16:43] In the future if if there's an if

[16:46] there's an abundance of power, we may be

[16:48] able to

[16:49] sell back power to the local grid, but

[16:53] we will not take the development will

[16:55] not take from the grid.

[17:00] We've approached this project with clear

[17:02] framework, land owner support, alignment

[17:05] with local priorities and a fine benefit

[17:06] to both the military mission and the

[17:08] local economy. We understand the

[17:10] responsibility that comes with a project

[17:13] of this scale

[17:14] and our intent is to move forward in a

[17:17] way that is thoughtful, um, transparent,

[17:19] and aligned with the community. We do we

[17:22] have committed to have multiple, uh,

[17:24] town halls for education, and, um,

[17:28] to to help the communities, the

[17:30] surrounding communities, understand the equipment, the the generation, um,

[17:37] of and the, uh, total buildout, uh, what

[17:40] it will consist of. And we look forward

[17:43] to those, actually. And furthermore, I I

[17:45] look forward to more questions. If you

[17:47] have any, uh, additional questions.

[17:50] Well, and we do have more questions. We

[17:51] appreciate that. You know, a lot of the

[17:53] questions that, uh, that you're

[17:55] answering are questions that we actually

[17:57] have had from our, uh, citizens that

[17:59] have come in. Um, so, one of the things

[18:03] that,

[18:04] um, we've got a lot of questions about

[18:07] is, uh, why is this project moved

[18:10] forward in such an accelerated timeline?

[18:13] That is a very that is a great question,

[18:15] and I appreciate it. Um,

[18:17] first and foremost, we do very extensive

[18:20] due diligence on all of our projects,

[18:22] but this one in particularly. Across the

[18:25] country, um, we've we've done our due

[18:27] diligence, um,

[18:29] as far as what what the project needs,

[18:32] uh, uh,

[18:33] at this caliber, and if it is even

[18:36] compatible with Utah. And sometimes,

[18:38] when a project like this comes along, it

[18:41] is very competitive, and it requires all

[18:44] involved to move, um, exponentially.

[18:47] That's what happened with this, because

[18:49] we have the we have the opportunity to,

[18:52] um, come upon technology that otherwise

[18:55] could set us back could set the, the

[18:57] development back multiple years, but we

[18:59] have the opportunity to potentially

[19:02] receive that equipment at a much

[19:05] exponential, um,

[19:07] timeline. And that is why we, as a, as a

[19:10] group, have moved us forward

[19:14] exponentially.

[19:20] Hillary, I have a question again.

[19:22] >> Yes.

[19:23] You were talking about this being a MIDA

[19:25] project. What percent of this project

[19:27] would actually be considered military

[19:29] use?

[19:31] That is that is also a great question.

[19:33] As you know, MIDA is in existence for

[19:36] number one, the military focus and

[19:39] military benefit mission, two, economic

[19:42] development. Um

[19:44] one of the main the things that I'm most

[19:46] excited about this project is

[19:48] we will be able to utilize revenues to

[19:52] um well, besides the national security

[19:56] and energy resilience that will provide

[19:59] um our military here nationally and and

[20:01] as we all know here in this in this

[20:04] room,

[20:05] uh

[20:07] energy independence is

[20:10] our has become a national emergency. And that will help

[20:15] this this campus will help provide uh

[20:19] assurance for that as well as um

[20:23] there's multiple projects throughout the

[20:26] installations in Utah that this project

[20:29] will help benefit and help um

[20:31] fulfill. Um

[20:32] for instance, we just

[20:34] the building that I just told you about

[20:36] at Hill Air Force Base with its um

[20:39] the with the new uh

[20:42] Apologize. I'm I'm

[20:43] stammering.

[20:45] The building that's being built right

[20:47] now um with the revenues, but there's

[20:50] projects all over the National Guard and

[20:52] other installations throughout Utah that

[20:54] need

[20:55] uh infrastructure to be replaced and to

[20:57] be um progressed for our for our military

[21:02] men.

[21:04] One of the one of the other concerns is

[21:05] what about pollution in our communities?

[21:07] Yeah, that's a great question as well.

[21:09] Uh MIDA is the land use authority.

[21:11] However, we do

[21:14] um

[21:15] we do follow the regulations of state

[21:17] permitting. So, your air, your water,

[21:19] your environmental, all of that will be

[21:21] regulated by the state and we and we

[21:23] will require the development to

[21:26] um follow those standards.

[21:30] Okay. I don't know if this is for Austin

[21:31] or for you, but um what if any

[21:33] environmental or water impact studies

[21:35] have been completed to date and what

[21:36] additional studies are planned in the

[21:37] future prior to the

[21:39] building permits?

[21:41] Yeah, that's that's also a great

[21:42] question. Um

[21:44] right now we've finished the due

[21:45] diligence and we're moving on to all of

[21:47] the impact studies. So, I I will let

[21:49] Austin speak to that, but with our

[21:51] standards and guidelines

[21:53] they uh the development will need to uh

[21:56] prepare a traffic study, environmental

[21:58] study. They will be working with the um

[22:02] state for their air approval,

[22:05] permitting, etc.

[22:07] Yeah, that that's right. We're we're

[22:09] working through the state with our air

[22:10] permitting.

[22:11] Um and that that's a a long process. You

[22:14] have to do a lot of monitoring and

[22:15] making sure that the air is fully taken

[22:18] care of. Um and then also the water as well, change use

[22:22] applications when you go from one use to

[22:25] another and they dictate how much, you

[22:27] know,

[22:28] because potentially farming or using it

[22:31] for pivots is used certain amount of the

[22:33] year, now you're going to be using it

[22:35] more constantly. The reductions in water

[22:37] and how that should be used

[22:38] appropriately. All of those are going

[22:39] through third-party professionals that

[22:42] are really respected by the state.

[22:44] Okay, very good. Can you can you talk a

[22:46] little bit to about the jobs?

[22:49] That was one of the questions that was

[22:50] asked is MIDA stating that uh there'll

[22:53] be an estimated um 2,000 jobs

[22:56] that will be created. Can you talk to

[22:58] that a little bit and maybe, you know,

[23:01] uh

[23:01] Mhm.

[23:02] >> [laughter]

[23:02] >> kind of those jobs, what that looks like

[23:04] financially, as well, and Sure.

[23:06] Uh the the total build out will is

[23:09] expected to take

[23:11] approximately 10 years, and through that

[23:13] uh development, we'll have We expect to

[23:15] see somewhere along the lines of 4,000

[23:19] temporary construction jobs, permanent

[23:22] jobs that will be uh that will stay with

[23:25] the development, approximately 2,000,

[23:27] and those will be

[23:28] um we're pri- prioritizing local hiring

[23:33] and provide long-term career paths. Um

[23:36] Data center management, IT, engineering,

[23:40] etc. They'll be high-paying jobs um that

[23:43] will stay with the development. The

[23:45] construction jobs, will they be local at

[23:46] all, or will they all be from out of

[23:48] state?

[23:49] Um I

[23:51] That would be I would say all of the

[23:52] above, but we would prioritize local construction workforce.

[24:01] Can you talk a little bit to the uh What

[24:04] is the basis

[24:05] for the level of tax incentives being

[24:07] proposed for the data center project?

[24:10] Sure.

[24:12] I'd like to state that we have very

[24:14] strategic thinkers and advanced uh

[24:17] finance team that helps uh put together

[24:19] these numbers. I won't I won't speak to

[24:22] the calculation um cuz I'm not prepared to, but what it What I

[24:29] am prepared to state is that with the

[24:31] energy and compute campus alone, um the

[24:35] developer has committed to phase one 3

[24:38] gigawatts of power, which would turn uh

[24:41] in turn provide the county with $30

[24:44] million annually um of revenue. Now,

[24:48] these funds uh are unrestricted. We

[24:52] There's no um

[24:54] Once you take care of the municipal

[24:56] services that we agreed to and we and

[25:00] you agreed to provide which is just the

[25:02] normal municipal services that you do

[25:04] already in the county. Um

[25:07] the county has the ability to use those

[25:09] additional funds as

[25:11] at their discretion. Now on full build

[25:13] out we expect the revenues just for the

[25:16] energy and data campus to be uh at least

[25:20] 108 million annually. And again the same structure unrestricted use it

[25:26] your at your discretion after municipal

[25:28] services are covered.

[25:31] So um

[25:32] so this is going to be built in segments

[25:34] proposed to be built in segments.

[25:36] >> That's right. So um you you said once

[25:40] that the first two segments would be

[25:42] built simultaneously.

[25:44] That's right. So it became

[25:46] >> [clears throat]

[25:46] >> basically a phase one became three gigs

[25:48] instead of one and a half gigs at a So

[25:51] on just the first phase phase one with

[25:54] two segments will be three gigabytes.

[25:57] >> Yes.

[25:57] >> And then as you

[25:59] feel the need or get to that point then

[26:01] you will make that decision to continue

[26:03] to build right?

[26:04] >> That's right. And then when it's online

[26:07] [clears throat]

[26:08] the next segment it's online then those

[26:10] payments will come when?

[26:13] So I I don't know the answer to that but I

[26:17] believe it's the next tax the next

[26:20] tax um

[26:22] assessment.

[26:23] >> on January 3rd it won't come till the

[26:24] next January. Is that what you're

[26:26] saying? One of the one of the one of the

[26:28] things that we have because this was a

[26:30] concern that we would have

[26:31] infrastructure in place and no revenues

[26:35] to support it. The developer has

[26:37] committed to prepayments of uh for the

[26:41] for three years $5.4 million a year to

[26:44] help cover those expenses that so that

[26:47] the county can gear up for this to um

[26:50] put in a PO for fire equipment or higher

[26:55] life safety, police,

[26:58] EMTs, fire,

[27:00] so that they're taken care of and are

[27:01] able to to gear up for what is

[27:04] happening. So, yes, we do recognize that

[27:06] there will be delay and that is why the

[27:09] developer has, um, agreed to pay those up front

[27:15] costs. Okay, thank you.

[27:19] How will these Jackson County's affect

[27:21] the county school district and other

[27:22] taxing entities over time?

[27:25] Only positively.

[27:27] At full build-out, the county, like we

[27:29] said, will will receive over $108

[27:31] million annually from the energy

[27:33] compute, but from any of the mixed-use

[27:36] development,

[27:37] um,

[27:39] advanced manufacturing, etc., there's

[27:42] going to need to be some eateries or a

[27:44] extended-stay hotel,

[27:46] the county will also receive their 25%

[27:50] of the municipal taxes, which will be,

[27:53] distributed to the taxing entities in

[27:55] the county.

[27:57] On the income

[27:58] >> So, along that line, and maybe I can

[27:59] take it you're all saying the one. So,

[28:01] the map that we've been presented shows

[28:03] three different parcels. We have, one

[28:05] that's southern Hansel Valley, one right

[28:07] at the exit of Hansel Valley 84, and one

[28:09] that's closer to Locomotive Springs.

[28:10] We've seen a lot of feedback and a lot

[28:12] of things from the public comments to

[28:14] our emails, etc., referencing Locomotive

[28:16] Springs. Um,

[28:19] tell us, so the public's aware, where

[28:21] are we thinking as far as if you're

[28:22] going to put a data center, the energy

[28:24] production, what's going to go in which

[28:27] of these parcels? What's the plan? The

[28:29] build-out plan for these three parcels,

[28:30] just so we have an idea. Sure. I'll talk

[28:33] to that, loosely, and let Austin, we are waiting for a full master plan in

[28:39] which we will review and and go through

[28:42] the proper approvals for that, but we

[28:44] plan to start in Hansel Valley.

[28:46] That's where all these numbers that we

[28:48] are discussing today are coming from.

[28:51] Um and that will be the data the

[28:54] majority of the data in compute.

[28:57] Yep.

[28:58] Yeah, so the so the cat the catalyst of

[29:00] the project is the Ruby pipeline, which

[29:02] uh goes through the center of that

[29:04] Hansel Valley, right? And so that's

[29:06] where it will start and grow out from.

[29:08] Um and then the Hansel Valley will be

[29:10] the first cuz it's closer. Um

[29:14] and then Locomotive will be

[29:16] a sec a secondary phase, so it will

[29:18] start in that South Hansel. And then the

[29:20] stuff off the exit is going to be

[29:22] additional services that will be

[29:23] beneficial to the to the project.

[29:26] So there won't be any data or compute on

[29:28] that piece.

[29:30] And those won't go in

[29:32] unless the data center and the in that

[29:34] first phase is got to happen before any

[29:36] of those other phases.

[29:37] >> Absolutely. Yep. All of all all of the

[29:39] momentum in the reason for is is these

[29:43] uh power generation and data center

[29:45] pieces. And then obviously ancillary

[29:47] things will come after the fact. A lot

[29:48] of advanced manufacturing that wants to

[29:50] be nearby.

[29:51] Um the state has had to turn away a lot

[29:54] of advanced manufacturing because the

[29:56] power availability currently on the grid

[29:58] is not sufficient. So a lot of those

[30:00] groups will come into this area as well

[30:01] now that there's power.

[30:05] I'd like to also state that we are fully

[30:08] aware of some of the concerns uh keeping

[30:12] the area as natural as possible. We've

[30:14] incorporated into the standards and

[30:16] guidelines that will be adopted with

[30:17] this project dark sky standards so that

[30:20] we um are mindful of that. We also are

[30:24] mindful of the free range or free

[30:27] roaming agriculture and the developer

[30:30] has committed to ensure that there's

[30:33] appropriate fencing um so that we can um

[30:37] provide safety on that end as well.

[30:40] What about noise?

[30:42] will also we did actually

[30:44] incorporate a standard into the

[30:45] standards and guidelines on noise, but

[30:47] we'll continually monitor that and make

[30:49] sure that we stay compliant.

[30:59] Any other questions, Commissioners?

[31:02] Yeah, well the project

[31:03] this big we're finding it's just about

[31:05] impossible to understand every issue that's come

[31:09] along.

[31:11] We also understand that in the event

[31:13] that that we vote for this

[31:15] after that happens, we lose control.

[31:19] And I and I I'm sorry that you feel that

[31:22] way. We want you to know that this is a

[31:25] partnership. Yes, MAIDA has land use

[31:28] authority in our project area

[31:31] specifically, but not outside of that

[31:33] not outside of the project area.

[31:35] And we encompass a committee so that

[31:40] the county's concerns and expertise is

[31:43] also acknowledged on the development

[31:46] review.

[31:47] And of course, we'll have continual

[31:49] communication.

[31:51] Myself, MAIDA, the county, the developer

[31:55] to make sure that we are all aligned.

[31:57] It's not a unilateral like I mentioned

[31:59] before, this is a partnership.

[32:01] Well, that's part of the question too is

[32:02] like we've talked about these town hall

[32:04] meetings and and the way these town hall

[32:06] meetings are effective is that people

[32:07] come and they have concerns. That's We agree and understand that in in the

[32:12] project area

[32:14] I understand that, but when we're

[32:15] talking about the outside area and we

[32:16] have our folks come with concerns, we

[32:18] need MAIDA to continue to be able to say

[32:21] if moving forward this project and we

[32:23] have those town hall meetings and

[32:24] there's questions or issues that you

[32:26] guys can address those meetings that we

[32:28] can get answers and then figure out to

[32:29] take care of the situation.

[32:31] >> absolutely. We're definitely committed

[32:32] to that. We want that. This is like I

[32:34] said, we're here because we understand

[32:37] that it that it provides a true military

[32:41] focus with the

[32:43] satisfying the energy need that this country that the country has.

[32:48] We're here That's why we're here.

[32:50] Military focus,

[32:52] economic development.

[32:54] And can And can There's still some

[32:56] questions about the natural gas. Can you address that a little bit as to

[33:00] why the natural gas is so so vital?

[33:06] And Oh, and not solar. Here, I'll I'll

[33:08] have Austin speak to the technical side.

[33:12] Yeah, so right now natural gas is is a very desired energy source for the

[33:17] big users who are willing to come in and front the kind of capital it takes

[33:21] to actually get power up and going. Even

[33:24] power companies themselves across the

[33:26] nation are refusing to produce more

[33:28] power because it doesn't financially

[33:30] make sense. And so this is the This is

[33:32] the resource that

[33:34] the the capital that's willing to outlay

[33:37] that capital and get energy online

[33:38] wants. Um

[33:40] and then I think I know you guys know

[33:42] and maybe the community knows that that

[33:44] Ruby was put through

[33:46] uh the county as was supposed to be a

[33:49] net benefit. And I think it was for a

[33:51] minute, but it's gone down because it

[33:53] wasn't utilized and and had a

[33:55] bankruptcy. And now with us being able

[33:57] to utilize that asset, it will again

[34:00] become a net benefit. Um

[34:02] and then the unused, the amount of capacity

[34:07] that's on that because it did go

[34:09] bankrupt, right? It just

[34:11] it's really a great scenario for us to

[34:13] have all the

[34:15] natural gas ability there to to produce

[34:18] this power. And it's the desired power

[34:20] source

[34:21] to invest this type of capital. Yeah,

[34:23] can I Can you Can you talk a little bit

[34:24] about to the research of things? I mean,

[34:26] what What research have you done to get

[34:29] to this point and and why and those type

[34:32] of things as well. Just about the

[34:33] natural gas or about all things

[34:35] considered.

[34:36] >> and the research and why you have chosen

[34:39] here. We understand that that that the

[34:41] pipeline is probably one of the big

[34:43] drivers, but but what other research did

[34:45] you do to to

[34:47] land here and understand that this is

[34:49] where you wanted to come. Yeah, there's

[34:51] a nexus of fiber and how fast that gets

[34:54] to different areas of the nation.

[34:56] Um

[34:57] so it's it it's situated very well for

[34:59] that, the pipeline, and then where we

[35:03] the spot that we picked is on the other

[35:05] side of a of a small mountain range. The

[35:08] air quality is such that it will be

[35:11] really well situated to take on what

[35:14] we're doing and and not affect anybody

[35:17] negatively. Um it's in what's called an

[35:20] attainment area as instead of a

[35:22] non-attainment or right across the line

[35:23] over where it is attainment because

[35:26] models have been done and it's a great

[35:27] place to do it. So all of these factors

[35:30] considered,

[35:32] um

[35:32] and then

[35:33] the amount of land it takes to do a

[35:35] campus like this

[35:37] in a different area you may have a

[35:39] couple hundred land owners. Out here

[35:40] we've got, you know, I think we've got

[35:42] 15 and then another two after our last

[35:44] meeting that have then approached us who

[35:47] were first against it and then

[35:48] approached us of wanting to be a part of

[35:50] it as well now that they understand what

[35:51] it is. So it's it's kind of got all the

[35:54] factors that it's really perfect.

[35:55] >> Are there places that people can find

[35:57] that research?

[35:58] Um yeah, we're going to have a fact

[35:59] sheet on our website where everyone can

[36:01] ask these questions and there'll be

[36:03] questions submittals as well and we'll

[36:05] add to the fact sheet as we go. Why so

[36:07] much land?

[36:09] Um you know, it started a lot smaller

[36:12] than this. Um but then when at first

[36:15] when we started it was just like, "Okay,

[36:17] how how does this work? Where's a good

[36:18] place for this?" And then when the

[36:21] military authority came into play and

[36:24] then we got talking to the state leaders

[36:25] about how many groups and military

[36:29] focused groups have been turned away

[36:30] because of lack of power. You know, it

[36:32] just kind of started growing

[36:34] and growing

[36:36] till it got this big because there are

[36:38] that many uses. Now, whether it it goes

[36:40] that big

[36:42] it is to be determined, but

[36:45] all of these landowners wanted in and we

[36:46] said, "Okay,

[36:48] let's let's let you in and we're hoping

[36:50] that if the demand is there, you know,

[36:52] that we can grow to this size and it

[36:54] will just keep being a huge net benefit

[36:56] for the county and the state."

[36:59] So, I have another couple questions.

[37:01] You mentioned Maeda as a land use

[37:03] authority.

[37:05] So, Box Elder County has a land use

[37:07] authority. So, in the in if this happens

[37:10] and construction plan is put together,

[37:14] how do you resolve differences? Who I

[37:16] mean, who has the biggest stick, I guess

[37:18] is the question. That's a great question

[37:20] and that's why we put together the

[37:23] do the two things, the development

[37:25] review committee

[37:26] with members of the experts in the

[37:29] county, your planners, your engineers.

[37:31] There's it will be a total it will be a

[37:34] 18 eight-member team, one executive

[37:38] leadership from Maeda,

[37:40] uh six from the county, uh your experts,

[37:44] and one

[37:45] non-voting landowner.

[37:47] Um also, we have our interlocal uh

[37:50] agreement. So, we'll work together to

[37:53] provide the resources and to end the

[37:55] partner

[37:56] under that agreement as well.

[38:00] Okay, thank you.

[38:02] One of the questions that's been posed

[38:03] to us in the emails and things we've

[38:04] received um

[38:06] is what specific protections will be

[38:07] implemented to ensure the Locomotive

[38:09] Springs and Gunnison Bay

[38:10] that are both critical habitats

[38:12] supporting migratory migratory bird

[38:13] populations are not negatively impacted

[38:15] by the project's footprint or water use.

[38:18] Yeah, I appreciate that question as

[38:20] well. It's been the developer's focus

[38:23] entirely to make sure that we are

[38:25] mindful of all these questions that are

[38:27] coming from the community. In fact, the

[38:29] Dark Sky

[38:31] standards were put into the into our

[38:33] standards and guidelines specifically

[38:35] from questions that we received from your community members.

[38:40] What we'll do this this also will will

[38:44] look [snorts] at as we do our studies

[38:46] and if they're in the in the vicinity,

[38:49] we'll make sure that there's

[38:51] um implement buffer areas, whatever we

[38:54] need. I don't have the the answer to that at

[38:58] this point, Austin.

[39:00] Yeah, there's there's a couple different

[39:02] groups um out there um

[39:04] that their names are slipping my mind

[39:06] right now, but um

[39:07] they have kind of these guidelines on

[39:09] how to do it right. And we have every

[39:11] intention of working with those groups

[39:13] to make sure that we're doing it in a

[39:14] way that is non-impactful

[39:18] um to to the migratory

[39:21] migration of the birds and

[39:24] everything else that has to do with

[39:25] wildlife, etc. We are very committed to

[39:28] making sure that we have the least

[39:30] amount of impact or if we can even do

[39:32] something to make a positive impact, we

[39:35] we're committed.

[39:36] Another thing people are kind of

[39:37] concerned about is the [clears throat]

[39:39] raise of natural gas costs to the

[39:41] residents.

[39:43] Can you speak to that a little bit?

[39:46] » [snorts]

[39:46] >> Um

[39:48] so the capacity on the pipeline is to

[39:51] that we're going for is totally unspoken

[39:54] for right now. So, it wouldn't be

[39:55] affecting any current contracts that are

[39:57] coming off of that gas pipeline.

[39:59] There's a there's available capacity

[40:01] that is just

[40:03] dormant. And so, it should not have

[40:05] effect on any other contracts that are

[40:08] currently on that pipeline.

[40:11] So, another question, the longevity of

[40:13] the proposed project,

[40:16] um

[40:16] it seems like uh what you're asking from

[40:19] the county is a guarantee

[40:21] and what the county is getting back is a

[40:22] promise.

[40:24] So, if there is not going to be any fuel

[40:26] used down the road, I mean I mean

[40:29] technology changes. It's probably

[40:30] changed since we've started talking,

[40:32] right?

[40:33] So,

[40:34] if this changes in 5 years, if it

[40:37] changes in 10 years, what happens then?

[40:39] Because if we don't get the fuel use,

[40:42] then what comes back to the county

[40:44] diminishes and we still have the

[40:45] guarantee to the developer.

[40:49] Yeah. So, what's your vision?

[40:51] Sure. I will say this. Uh

[40:54] Paul Morris and myself have discussed

[40:56] about this at length and the capital that's coming

[41:00] >> so everybody knows, who's Paul Morris?

[41:01] Just

[41:01] >> Oh, Paul Morris is is Hillary's partner

[41:03] in MAGDA. Okay. Um

[41:06] He's the executive director of MAGDA.

[41:07] Perfect. Executive director of MAGDA.

[41:10] So, yeah. We've talked about this at

[41:11] length and all of the energy

[41:13] consumption, the tax on that is where

[41:16] that county revenue comes from. So,

[41:18] whether that was from natural gas energy

[41:20] consumption, from what the

[41:22] >> [screaming]

[41:22] >> from some other energy consumption, as

[41:25] long as that energy's being purchased,

[41:27] those taxes will remain. It's pretty exciting, I

[41:29] know.

[41:30] >> [laughter]

[41:33] » I've never seen anybody do that for you

[41:35] yet, Austin. I think that's [laughter]

[41:36] great.

[41:40] So, if I understand and in the inter-

[41:42] local agreement that that's before us

[41:44] right now, um they have put in there

[41:46] that uh

[41:47] you again will have to report water um

[41:49] just like under a bill that was passed

[41:51] this last session under HB 76 on

[41:54] reporting requirements. Even though

[41:56] MAGDA would be doing this, you would

[41:58] still have to follow those guidelines.

[41:59] Is that correct?

[42:00] >> Absolutely. Yes.

[42:01] Okay.

[42:03] So, MAGDA is a subdivision of what?

[42:07] We're a state land use authority.

[42:09] So, if we make this agreement, we're

[42:11] making it with MAGDA or we making it

[42:13] with the state of Utah?

[42:14] >> You're making it with IMIDA, the

[42:15] Military Installation Development

[42:17] Authority.

[42:18] But you are a subset of the state of

[42:20] Utah, right? Yes, that's correct. We're

[42:22] a state authority.

[42:23] And and you'd be the ones granting

[42:25] um

[42:27] tax breaks, so to speak. It would not be

[42:29] the county actually providing those.

[42:31] >> That would be us, yes.

[42:34] I just I throw my one sticking point out

[42:35] there that I am concerned about um I

[42:38] just want to throw out it's probably

[42:39] Austin as much as anything, maybe a

[42:41] little IMIDA. Um I've listened to the

[42:43] IMIDA meeting that they had last Friday

[42:45] and there was discussion about how long

[42:47] ago that certain individuals were aware

[42:49] of this in the state level.

[42:52] And um and be straight up as

[42:54] commissioners, we heard rumors,

[42:56] but we didn't hear a lot about it for

[42:57] some time.

[42:59] And it really took push from the three

[43:00] commissioners against some of our local

[43:02] elected officials and some of our our senators and representatives saying,

[43:05] "Hey, what is what is this rumor we're

[43:07] hearing?" It was during the session. And

[43:09] it wasn't until the session was done

[43:11] that finally somebody reached out to us.

[43:14] And yet we know that landowners were

[43:15] talked to long before any of this.

[43:18] Um

[43:19] why why is it the commission was the

[43:21] last to be talked to about this as far

[43:24] as

[43:25] from what I can see as far as the pieces

[43:26] to the puzzle here. IMIDA is important

[43:28] I'm in part of this project. State

[43:30] leaders obviously have a have something

[43:31] to do with this. I'm assuming people

[43:33] talked to the natural gas company, we

[43:35] talked to the developers,

[43:37] but it seems like the county commission

[43:39] is a part of this process, why were we

[43:41] last and just if you can answer that for me.

[43:44] I just really want to know for the for

[43:45] the public's sake as well.

[43:47] If it's all right, I'll I'll speak to

[43:49] this and if you have anything to add. Uh

[43:51] like like we mentioned before, IMIDA has

[43:53] multiple projects that are presented to

[43:56] them daily. And either they meet the

[43:59] military mission or they don't and so

[44:01] then they are excused. Uh sometimes they

[44:05] are

[44:06] due diligence is done on them a little

[44:08] bit longer and then excused. This one

[44:12] when we learned about it mid-February,

[44:14] we started our due diligence under the

[44:17] impression that not only state state

[44:21] legislation and also local

[44:23] municipalities were were

[44:28] talked to. So, as we continued our due

[44:30] diligence

[44:32] and then determined that we wanted to

[44:34] move forward with this project, it was

[44:36] then

[44:37] noted that

[44:39] there was that aspect that was missed.

[44:40] We apologize and know that that is not

[44:43] the mightier way. We want full

[44:45] transparency and I apologize now because

[44:48] of the because of the nature of the

[44:50] competitive competitiveness of this

[44:52] project

[44:54] to come to Utah or to another state,

[44:56] that is the reason why this has been

[44:58] exponentially

[45:00] put into put into motion.

[45:04] Well, night and I actually and and

[45:06] there's been several comments about my

[45:08] comment about drinking from a fire hose

[45:10] and it absolutely has been that way. You

[45:12] know, as

[45:13] we've [clears throat]

[45:14] postponed this last week and now to

[45:17] today and that's the thing is

[45:19] now that we finally have the

[45:21] information, but the thing that's so

[45:23] frustrating for us for commissioners is all of a sudden we're we're we're

[45:28] brought in the last hour and we're

[45:30] expected to hurry. And so, it has been

[45:34] um tons of study, tons of hours on our

[45:37] side trying to understand this and we

[45:40] have landowners that are frustrated.

[45:42] We're trying to explain to them the

[45:44] situation that we're in.

[45:46] That the state's come to us and said

[45:48] this has got to be done. The pressure

[45:50] that we felt with

[45:52] and so, trying to understand all this

[45:53] which

[45:54] today I do drinking from that fire hose

[45:57] at this point now, I understand it. But

[46:00] it has taken several hours and hours to

[46:02] get to this point. And I do want to

[46:05] recognize that your team, commissioners,

[46:07] yourselves, your team, your your legal

[46:10] team, all of your department heads have

[46:12] put exten- extenuous

[46:16] uh time into understanding this.

[46:18] I'm grateful for the development team as

[46:20] well for taking the time to

[46:23] um come prepared with a project that

[46:27] was was easily the due diligence was

[46:30] eight we were able to do that.

[46:32] I appreciate the time that you've spent

[46:34] to to prepare for this day and I

[46:39] whether we have your consent or not, we

[46:41] appreciate the effort that you put into

[46:42] this and I just wanted to say thank you

[46:45] um for that.

[46:46] >> The public needs to also be aware that

[46:47] we did hire an outside legal team to

[46:49] help us. We appreciate Steve uh

[46:53] Hadfield and Annie Hansen from our law

[46:55] offices for helping us. We also did hire

[46:57] an outside

[46:58] uh agency to help in this

[47:00] [clears throat] process as well. Hey Ty,

[47:02] I have one more question if you don't

[47:03] mind.

[47:03] >> Yeah, go ahead, boy. In the event

[47:06] that this gets approved

[47:08] >> [snorts]

[47:09] >> and we find out that because of this

[47:12] fast-moving situation that we wasn't

[47:15] able to understand all the I's and all

[47:18] the T's,

[47:19] is there any situation where we can then

[47:23] work through the challenges with MAEDA

[47:25] or are we out of luck?

[47:27] We will work through this entire project

[47:29] together.

[47:31] What does that mean?

[47:33] We're in a we're in a partnership.

[47:37] So on this committee then we're going to

[47:39] be able to sit at a round table and

[47:41] hammer out the details. That's right.

[47:45] And if we have deep concerns for our

[47:47] citizens, the same way, correct?

[47:50] Oh, that's right. I should point that

[47:52] out and thank you, Austin.

[47:54] Um with a project of this magnitude, um

[47:57] it is

[47:58] not likely, but for sure that one of you

[48:01] will be on the MIDA board, so you'll be

[48:03] able to help

[48:05] with this.

[48:10] You will

[48:12] So,

[48:13] another question. How much influence

[48:15] because we're a subdivision of the

[48:17] state, we all are. How much influence is

[48:21] it going to come from Salt Lake?

[48:24] I'm sorry, I didn't

[48:25] How much influence is going to come from

[48:28] local elected officials from the state,

[48:31] the legislature, the governor? How much

[48:33] input are they going to have into this

[48:34] project? No. The project area is here in

[48:37] Box Elder County and MIDA along with you

[48:42] Box Elder County,

[48:44] we will we will develop this

[48:46] development.

[48:50] Okay.

[48:55] Commissioners, are there any further

[48:56] questions?

[48:58] >> [clears throat]

[48:58] >> Um, yeah, I I actually there was one

[49:00] other thing. I I did some research. Um,

[49:02] one of the things they talked about these data

[49:05] centers is um

[49:06] especially the ones with natural gas is

[49:08] and and even some with solar that they

[49:10] have actually are using battery backups

[49:12] to generate energy or to store energy so

[49:15] that they can use it during off hours or

[49:17] and I guess with the natural gas I've

[49:19] heard that they actually up to 1

[49:20] gigawatt of natural

[49:22] battery backup so that they can cycle

[49:24] and and reduce the amount of uh

[49:27] pollution or whatever you would come

[49:28] from the natural gas generators by using

[49:30] batteries on occasion. Is that something

[49:32] that is being looked at in this project

[49:34] or wherever do we know? So, not that I'm

[49:36] aware of, but the power gen that's

[49:38] producing for the data centers um that's

[49:40] a third-party company that has these

[49:42] really good solutions that have really

[49:45] the lowest I've seen impact on air

[49:47] quality and the the zero water

[49:49] solutions. They'll they'll be deciding

[49:51] on what those backup sources will be.

[49:53] Um there is a diesel fuel line that goes

[49:56] through the site. I'm not sure if that

[49:58] will come into play as a as a resource

[50:00] for

[50:01] backup energy to have uh

[50:03] diesel generators as a possibility, but

[50:05] um

[50:06] yeah, and there's also the possibility

[50:08] of

[50:09] maintaining a bunch of extra natural gas

[50:11] on site in silos, so that if anything

[50:13] were to happen to the pipeline that they

[50:16] still have that reservoir to to rely on.

[50:19] So, um I have not heard anything of

[50:21] batteries. The design isn't fully

[50:23] finished, but uh yeah, that's not

[50:27] anything I've heard so far. And and with

[50:29] the the rebates or whatever you want to

[50:31] call it, tax incentives that you might

[50:33] have would give what is what's what are

[50:36] you what is the company I mean, they're

[50:37] getting this tax incentive, but what are

[50:39] they supposed to do with this tax

[50:40] incentive? What what's the

[50:42] Why do you give it to them?

[50:45] It'll be used for development.

[50:48] Uh the the money that comes from the energy

[50:53] and compute will be utilized to help uh

[50:56] the development out there uh as well as

[51:01] uh

[51:02] they have to the infra- the infra-

[51:03] >> Yeah, who builds the infrastructure is

[51:05] what I want to know. Does the county or

[51:06] >> Nope, absolutely not. The the developer

[51:09] has committed to 100% of all

[51:11] infrastructure improvements. So, the

[51:14] roads, the sewer uh system, which will

[51:17] likely become a district, the the

[51:20] stormwater uh system underneath the

[51:22] roads, the developer will create all of

[51:24] that for the that leads into the

[51:26] development. Um

[51:28] no cost to the county, and then when the

[51:30] revenues come back to the county, uh

[51:32] yes, the municipal those municipal

[51:34] services will be

[51:36] um you will provide uh support um with

[51:40] maintenance and snow plow, the normal

[51:43] municipal services that you would

[51:44] through the county. Um but as far as the

[51:47] cost to the county in developing those

[51:51] infrastructure, that will be the

[51:52] developer. So, if I can compare this to

[51:54] something else that's happened in our

[51:55] county years ago in the 50s, um, we have

[51:58] a large corporation in in Western Box

[52:00] Elder County, Northrop Grumman. And so,

[52:03] most of it's not even county roads.

[52:04] There's a few county roads that do

[52:05] impact us that we have to work with them

[52:07] on and we continue to work with them on.

[52:09] But, most of them are state highways

[52:10] that go out to there and from. So, the

[52:12] state provides the plows and our

[52:14] deputies along with the highway patrol

[52:15] provide the the law enforcement

[52:17] protection. And then on base, they

[52:18] actually provide their own fire and

[52:20] ambulance services. Is that you think

[52:22] that will we provide provide the

[52:23] ambulance fire services to this facility

[52:26] or will they end up maybe having their

[52:27] own?

[52:28] And I mean, obviously we'll provide law

[52:30] enforcement services up into that

[52:32] facility, but I I don't know if the

[52:34] facility would be thinking about

[52:35] contracting with the county for any of

[52:36] those services on the facility itself.

[52:39] Um, just kind of curious to see the take

[52:41] cuz I'm comparing us to what happened in

[52:44] the 50s here in Box Elder County with

[52:45] Northrop Grumman. So, Yeah, absolutely.

[52:48] Uh, yes, we would like to obviously have

[52:51] the county partner with us to work out

[52:53] those services. Um, if amenable and and

[52:57] if if you want to

[52:58] contract with your different local, uh,

[53:01] municipalities around depending on where

[53:04] your resources are.

[53:05] I noticed in the local agreement there's

[53:07] some information about the fact that

[53:09] um, some of the stuff that the company

[53:11] will be required to buy would be fire

[53:12] trucks if possible if they depending on

[53:14] if the fire trucks that are available in

[53:16] the area aren't sufficient. The county

[53:18] taxpayers are not going to buy those

[53:19] fire trucks.

[53:20] >> That's right. We have height

[53:21] restrictions in the development and if

[53:23] they if if by chance we take it to the

[53:26] uh,

[53:26] DRC or the review committee and and a

[53:29] waiver is made for that and a and a a

[53:32] ladder truck is required for that

[53:36] particular height,

[53:38] the developer will cover that cost. Can

[53:40] I speak on that coming from Snowville?

[53:42] What the impacts of that might be and

[53:43] what it looks like?

[53:44] >> Ma'am, no. We I'm sorry.

[53:47] Excuse me. Okay.

[53:50] In further town halls, we can address

[53:52] more more of these questions, for sure.

[53:58] At the university, if you please, where

[53:59] we have room.

[54:02] What?

[54:03] We should have the meeting at the

[54:05] university where there's room for the

[54:06] people that are out in the hall. Sorry,

[54:08] ma'am.

[54:11] It's only your council now.

[54:13] It's not listening to the constituents.

[54:15] >> We'd actually like to We'd like to hold

[54:17] at least two town halls and

[54:21] uh throughout the the county, wherever

[54:23] you

[54:24] >> that'll be covering you.

[54:28] One more time and I'm going to have you

[54:29] removed. I'm sorry. We have to We have

[54:31] to keep control the meeting.

[54:34] We understand that. We We We've

[54:36] addressed that, so.

[54:42] Hi, Robert.

[54:43] The thing is, you've allowed this woman

[54:44] to come and speak three times.

[54:46] And you've allowed the public to speak a

[54:48] lot.

[54:48] >> Ma'am, ma'am.

[54:50] Enough.

[55:06] If there's infrastructure put out there,

[55:09] the sewer system, water line, what

[55:10] happens at the end of the project with

[55:12] all of that?

[55:13] All the infra- All the public

[55:15] infrastructure will be deeded to the

[55:16] county.

[55:18] And then you will maintain with the

[55:21] municipal services funds that you're

[55:23] provided, uh either if at the phase one with three gigs, you'll

[55:29] have the additional $30 million

[55:31] to um provide those, or at full build

[55:34] out,

[55:36] you'll have the additional million or

[55:38] so.

[55:39] $108 million or so.

[55:44] And when we talk about the

[55:45] infrastructure they're going to build,

[55:47] um

[55:48] who how do we know that they're just not

[55:50] going to throw up whatever they want to

[55:51] throw up to make it look good? Um we

[55:54] for the development, we have a specific

[55:57] set of standards and guidelines that um

[55:59] will be adopted for this, but all of

[56:01] those standards will be in line with

[56:03] what the county uh requires for your

[56:05] roads and and infrastructure.

[56:09] And will there be any residential um

[56:12] out there?

[56:13] There's no residential. Uh we've got

[56:15] some workforce housing temporary. Okay.

[56:18] Um and and like I said, the if

[56:22] Austin, would you like to talk more to

[56:24] the master plan? Yeah.

[56:28] there will be some temporary on

[56:30] site cuz you don't want all of those

[56:31] construction workers traveling back and

[56:33] forth on the 84 every day if you don't

[56:35] have to.

[56:36] Um and there will be some

[56:39] amenities around that, but no long-term

[56:41] residential will be going out there.

[56:43] So, the residential that could accompany

[56:45] this would most likely be closer to

[56:47] here.

[56:48] New developments around here that have

[56:50] been approved but haven't been built

[56:51] yet. There's there's quite a few, so I

[56:53] think all of those would get some

[56:56] much needed firepower behind them as

[56:59] there's going to be some demand.

[57:05] Let's

[57:09] What's

[57:10] It sounds like you have a concept of a

[57:12] plan.

[57:15] » [laughter]

[57:19] » I noticed we also have in here that we

[57:21] uh any damage to any county road

[57:24] pertaining to this project will be

[57:25] covered and replaced and and paid for by

[57:27] Midas. Is that correct? Or or by the

[57:30] business, one of the two? Yes, the

[57:31] developer will will make [clears throat]

[57:33] sure that before anything is deeded over

[57:36] there's a strict inspections. Okay.

[57:41] I think that's the concern of our of our

[57:43] citizens is just what's going to put on,

[57:45] you know, this project and what it's

[57:47] going to put on their backs. And I think

[57:49] that's the concern that they have. And

[57:52] that's why going forward all these

[57:53] things that we've talked about that we

[57:55] needed costs, we needed upfront money

[57:57] before we could even start doing

[57:59] anything with the

[58:00] project. [clears throat]

[58:04] What is the state's contribution to all

[58:05] this as far as not myda, but the state

[58:08] of Utah, obviously they're going to see

[58:09] some money back from this. What do they

[58:11] what are they going to put in?

[58:12] The agreements haven't been finalized,

[58:14] but yes, um

[58:16] by law by myda law, the state is um

[58:20] is

[58:21] does have the option to benefit in these

[58:25] projects.

[58:30] » [snorts]

[58:35] » Let's see.

[58:42] Um

[58:49] So as I'm reading into this contract, it

[58:51] says um

[58:54] the agreement shall continue until the

[58:56] earlier of the expiration of the maximum

[58:58] period allowed by law or the date on

[59:00] which the project area ceases to exist.

[59:04] Who makes that decision?

[59:08] The project area will likely never cease

[59:10] to exist uh because well the it myda

[59:14] will will be

[59:17] responsible for the project area

[59:20] um once infrastructure is created or I'm

[59:23] sorry, constructed. So you're confident

[59:25] myda will be here for 50 years.

[59:28] Yes.

[59:28] >> Most of us aren't going to be here, so.

[59:39] I did hear a comment um multiple comments either

[59:43] through social media or actually here in

[59:46] the room. We are we are excited for the

[59:49] opportunity to build something that will

[59:51] allow

[59:52] uh your local residents or the local of

[59:55] Utah to be able to stay within Utah um

[59:58] and and have provided high-paying uh

[1:00:01] jobs that can allow them to stay and

[1:00:04] even farm as well.

[1:00:06] that that is actually one of the

[1:00:07] comments I hear quite often and I and I

[1:00:09] actually brought it up a couple times

[1:00:11] with the

[1:00:12] um

[1:00:13] I hear these data centers come in and

[1:00:14] they say that they're going to provide a

[1:00:15] lot of jobs,

[1:00:17] but then they don't.

[1:00:19] What is their

[1:00:21] you know, an agreement or whatever to

[1:00:22] hold their feet to the fire to say,

[1:00:23] "Hey,

[1:00:24] you know, you guys told us you're going

[1:00:25] to have 1,000, 2,000 jobs, you ended up

[1:00:27] with 200."

[1:00:28] Is there anything that we can go back

[1:00:30] and say, "Wait a minute, you know, you made all kinds of promises up front,

[1:00:33] but didn't fulfill your promises."

[1:00:36] Sure. Um I can speak to

[1:00:40] the different DOW

[1:00:43] contracts that'll be going in the the

[1:00:45] defense contracts and that will provide

[1:00:48] multiple jobs and also would like to

[1:00:51] talk to some of the other options.

[1:00:53] Yeah, so as a rule of thumb and

[1:00:55] obviously this gets to scale um as a

[1:00:58] rule of thumb for each gigawatt it's

[1:00:59] like 1,000 jobs. And so, we we project

[1:01:03] many, many more. The 2,000 is a pretty

[1:01:05] low benchmark to hit. That's why we keep

[1:01:07] saying it. Um and then in in addition,

[1:01:09] like I mentioned, the state has turned

[1:01:11] away so many

[1:01:13] high energy use manufacturers and

[1:01:16] defense manufacturers cuz they don't

[1:01:18] have the energy grid here.

[1:01:20] We are talking to many that will come to

[1:01:22] this site as well, and each one of those

[1:01:24] is

[1:01:25] a more traditional employer that there's

[1:01:27] hundreds of jobs per

[1:01:29] um

[1:01:30] so yeah, there'll be

[1:01:32] many many more than just the 2,000 that

[1:01:34] we're talking about, but that's the

[1:01:35] benchmark we want to put out there to

[1:01:37] say, you know,

[1:01:38] we we know we're going to hit this. It

[1:01:41] could be a lot more when you throw the

[1:01:43] manufacturing in and then the real

[1:01:44] numbers behind like a per gigawatt

[1:01:46] amount of jobs that it creates. We keep

[1:01:49] talking about the state benefit. What is

[1:01:51] the state benefit? Really, what is the

[1:01:53] benefit to the state?

[1:01:59] Being first to the table to help this

[1:02:01] national energy

[1:02:04] lack of energy.

[1:02:06] That we can that Utah can can provide

[1:02:10] our national or our military national

[1:02:13] security.

[1:02:17] Okay.

[1:02:20] So, okay, if we get this growth with the

[1:02:23] employment cuz this happened in the 50s

[1:02:25] here with the Northrop Grumman. We had a

[1:02:26] huge

[1:02:27] How are we going to take care of the

[1:02:28] local communities

[1:02:30] with if we end up with growth with more

[1:02:32] employers, that's going to add more

[1:02:34] students possibly to our school system.

[1:02:37] Obviously, we know we have we've got to

[1:02:39] deal with fire EMS what we're trying to

[1:02:41] figure out and

[1:02:43] where do we how do we take care of

[1:02:45] Snowville fire or we have end up

[1:02:47] creating a Howl fire department over the

[1:02:49] hill that's closer that's right there in

[1:02:50] the same vicinity.

[1:02:52] How do we deal with that kind of

[1:02:54] infrastructure and cost to our community

[1:02:57] because

[1:02:58] more homes, more people, we got to

[1:03:00] figure something out. We may have to

[1:03:02] build sewer systems

[1:03:04] to deal with some of these other folks

[1:03:05] that move in if it's say somebody you

[1:03:07] know, Snowville decides to allow people

[1:03:09] to grow. Well,

[1:03:11] right now in the county all in most of

[1:03:12] the unincorporated in a lot of the

[1:03:13] county, it's half acre lots best case

[1:03:16] scenario because of septic. So, if

[1:03:18] you're going to go more dense than that,

[1:03:20] then you're going to have to start

[1:03:21] thinking about sewer systems, and that's

[1:03:22] expensive infrastructure. Do you have

[1:03:24] any solutions or ideas for how we deal

[1:03:26] with that going into this situation?

[1:03:30] I don't have your solutions, but I what I have is the revenues that will

[1:03:35] come back to the county, and you can

[1:03:36] utilize those revenues however you deem

[1:03:39] fit for the county.

[1:03:42] Yes.

[1:03:43] There was a There was a study done by

[1:03:45] [snorts] Idaho in reference to these

[1:03:47] data centers in Virginia, actually. Um

[1:03:50] a lot of people were concerned about,

[1:03:52] obviously,

[1:03:52] >> It was done by Idaho or Virginia, which

[1:03:53] one? I'm just

[1:03:54] >> It was It was in Idaho, but it was about

[1:03:56] the Virginia data centers. Um

[1:03:58] and uh they were talking about the tax

[1:04:00] reinvestment the state was putting back

[1:04:03] into the project. And it said, "For

[1:04:05] every $1 reinvested back in,

[1:04:07] the impact

[1:04:09] on the community produced $8. So, for

[1:04:12] every $1 into the project, there was $8

[1:04:15] in revenue

[1:04:16] back to the taxing authorities.

[1:04:18] So, just by all of the things that come

[1:04:21] with this, you're going to have

[1:04:22] additional retail demand, right? You're

[1:04:24] going to have an additional

[1:04:25] housing that's going to come in, and all

[1:04:27] of the other jobs and ancillary jobs and

[1:04:29] things outside of this project. There's

[1:04:31] studies been done that will show that it

[1:04:33] will be not only the benefit of this

[1:04:35] revenue, but

[1:04:37] you know, a lot more

[1:04:39] that comes along with it. This should

[1:04:40] fund all of that.

[1:04:43] So, if the revenue that you're talking

[1:04:45] about comes back into the county, the 30

[1:04:46] million, the 108 million,

[1:04:48] or wherever it goes from there,

[1:04:51] the county would be able to

[1:04:53] basically walk back to these cities and say,

[1:04:56] "We're going to give you this portion to

[1:04:57] help with this cost for infrastructure."

[1:04:59] Is that your understanding?

[1:05:01] Once municipal services are taken care

[1:05:03] of,

[1:05:04] >> [clears throat and cough]

[1:05:04] >> the county has full discretion.

[1:05:08] Okay.

[1:05:20] » Let's see.

[1:05:29] Sure covered up with it.

[1:06:09] Can't think of it. Oh, is there Okay,

[1:06:11] the other question I do want to ask I

[1:06:13] know we talked about water pollution.

[1:06:15] What about the

[1:06:18] study this far as ground? Um I know

[1:06:21] this same area was talked about

[1:06:23] 10 15 years ago and dealing with the

[1:06:25] landfill.

[1:06:27] And there was talk about an earthquake

[1:06:28] and things like that. So is that is that

[1:06:30] something that's going to be has been

[1:06:31] considered, talked about? Is that a

[1:06:33] concern?

[1:06:36] Yeah, we we've done all our geotechnical

[1:06:38] studies and where the where the site is

[1:06:40] sits, there is a

[1:06:43] that earthquake that you're referencing

[1:06:46] is is quite a ways away. Okay. Um even

[1:06:48] though it goes by the same name, but uh

[1:06:50] yeah, it's uh there's no

[1:06:53] there's one fault line that's like

[1:06:54] 750,000 years old and very dormant.

[1:06:57] >> Yeah. Um and the geotechnical

[1:07:00] professionals have said this site is

[1:07:02] very buildable and good. Okay. Good to

[1:07:04] go. Yeah.

[1:07:05] So have you drilled core samples to to

[1:07:08] and you've done all that? Yes. And the

[1:07:10] studies available for people to review

[1:07:12] or no? The geotechnical? Yeah. Yep.

[1:07:18] Where would they find that?

[1:07:20] Um we don't have it publicized

[1:07:22] currently, but [laughter]

[1:07:28] I mean, nobody's asked for it up until

[1:07:30] this point, but yeah. But it could be

[1:07:32] publicized.

[1:07:33] >> be publicized, right? We we will we will

[1:07:34] publicize all all of the all of the

[1:07:36] information. All the studies should be

[1:07:38] where the public can look. Yeah, all all the studies that are required, all

[1:07:42] the state studies, impact studies,

[1:07:45] they'll all be part of the master

[1:07:46] development plan and site plan,

[1:07:48] um which will be studied by

[1:07:50] the development review committee, which

[1:07:54] will be

[1:07:55] members of the county.

[1:07:59] But yes, if you would like a copy of that, I'm

[1:08:02] sure Austin would provide.

[1:08:10] So, you mentioned once

[1:08:12] uh talking about the purpose of the

[1:08:13] project.

[1:08:16] And I'm a little vague on that. Can you

[1:08:18] help me understand really what the

[1:08:19] purpose is?

[1:08:21] The millionaires and the billionaires.

[1:08:25] Why it is involved because we we we are

[1:08:28] involved in projects that have a clear

[1:08:31] military mission because of the

[1:08:34] energy deficiency that the that the country has, this will provide a

[1:08:41] segue into

[1:08:43] the energy compute and data storage that

[1:08:47] our our military needs. Um this will

[1:08:51] help the the energy the lack

[1:08:56] of energy and it's just the start it's just the start and

[1:08:59] that's the that is the full military mission and

[1:09:03] why and why it is involved is because we

[1:09:06] can give this opportunity to Utah to

[1:09:08] bring

[1:09:11] energy independent energy

[1:09:13] to the state.

[1:09:15] I'm I'm sure that most of us don't

[1:09:17] understand the requirements and the needs of the

[1:09:21] military as far as

[1:09:23] artificial intelligence and even

[1:09:25] computing stuff. I'm sure that most I

[1:09:27] don't. I'm guessing that most of these

[1:09:29] folks don't either.

[1:09:31] It'd be nice to have someone who does

[1:09:33] know that and analyze that and give us a

[1:09:35] an idea.

[1:09:37] Absolutely. Yeah.

[1:09:39] >> You're hard to hear. Can you talk into

[1:09:40] your phone?

[1:09:41] Sorry.

[1:09:44] I said I don't really understand what

[1:09:46] the the military's would need. And I'm

[1:09:50] pretty sure that most of us don't. It'd

[1:09:52] be nice to have a summary of what that

[1:09:54] would what that really means to us.

[1:09:56] Yeah, there's there's several um there's

[1:09:58] several studies and videos out there

[1:10:01] that I've seen um

[1:10:03] on who's producing the most compute

[1:10:05] power right now and what would happen

[1:10:08] in a future

[1:10:09] you know, conflict if we're

[1:10:12] outpowered and outcomputed by the

[1:10:14] competitors. I had a actually on another

[1:10:18] project military related a friend of

[1:10:20] mine that was over in Ukraine and all

[1:10:23] they're doing right now is drones

[1:10:25] computing to make sure that those drones

[1:10:27] can fight, right? And so it's extremely

[1:10:30] important when you've got countries like

[1:10:32] China that are producing hundreds of

[1:10:35] gigawatts a year and here in America we're we're very far behind. And so if a conflict

[1:10:41] like that were to come, we want to be

[1:10:43] able to protect ourselves. It is

[1:10:44] national security to have power and and

[1:10:47] compute power going forward.

[1:10:49] Yeah, I'm I mean I um

[1:10:52] I'm sure that all of the technology and

[1:10:54] all of the equipment that they use runs

[1:10:57] off that same technology, but I don't

[1:10:59] know what it is, you know.

[1:11:01] I know my tractors run off the same

[1:11:03] thing, you know, so.

[1:11:06] It'd be nice to know that.

[1:11:10] And that that's something we can include

[1:11:12] in the fact sheets is what how this is

[1:11:14] used in the military.

[1:11:16] Yeah, that it'd be nice to know, you

[1:11:17] know, because we live in a digital age

[1:11:19] and I'm been around long enough to know

[1:11:21] that just cuz it's digital doesn't mean

[1:11:23] it's true.

[1:11:24] It'd be nice to have some solid facts

[1:11:28] to review.

[1:11:32] I'm just curious what my door the

[1:11:34] developers probably or you're from that

[1:11:36] side um

[1:11:38] would say if if I said, "Hey, I want to

[1:11:39] I want another week to figure this out

[1:11:41] to make before I make a decision."

[1:11:43] Um I just like to get your response if I

[1:11:44] said, "I'm going to ask for one more

[1:11:46] week because I think I want to gather

[1:11:47] just some a little bit more

[1:11:48] information." I've been like I said

[1:11:50] inundated over the weekend with a ton of

[1:11:52] information from a lot of folks.

[1:11:54] Um we've been asking questions. You you

[1:11:55] saw a number of questions we've sent to

[1:11:57] you over the weekend that came from

[1:11:58] these these constituents and folks.

[1:12:00] Um but there's there may still be a

[1:12:02] couple others, so I guess that's what

[1:12:03] I'm asking is if we said, "Hey, could can you wait one more week for us

[1:12:09] to gather more information just to

[1:12:10] gather a little bit more information

[1:12:11] before we make a final decision."

[1:12:16] » [applause]

[1:12:20] » Of course we would respect we respect

[1:12:22] that. We respect the need and again we

[1:12:24] appreciate that all of the research that

[1:12:26] you've done and the time that you've put

[1:12:28] into this. Um I the reason why we're

[1:12:31] expediting is because we have this

[1:12:33] opportunity to receive the the the zero

[1:12:37] water

[1:12:38] turbines [clears throat]

[1:12:39] and and the

[1:12:41] and that that technology

[1:12:43] uh jumped the line for that, but of

[1:12:45] course I would respect your uh need for more time.

[1:12:50] Okay.

[1:12:54] Well, and honestly, we have asked

[1:12:58] you tons of questions this week, and one

[1:13:00] of the big things is is a lot of the

[1:13:02] questions that that we're asking today

[1:13:05] have come from our citizens.

[1:13:07] The questions that you've sent us and

[1:13:08] the concerns and those type of things.

[1:13:11] And so, that's [clears throat] why a lot

[1:13:13] of these questions we're asking have

[1:13:14] come from you. There's There are I've

[1:13:17] had several questions as well that have

[1:13:19] been asked that I've asked that have

[1:13:20] been answered, but we wanted you to hear

[1:13:23] those questions as well, plus have your

[1:13:26] questions answered. So,

[1:13:29] we appreciate you sending those questions, um,

[1:13:33] online.

[1:13:35] Thank you for the opportunity

[1:13:37] once again to present in front of you

[1:13:39] and answer the questions, and we hope to

[1:13:41] have more opportunities in town halls

[1:13:44] to, um,

[1:13:46] to help educate not not just ourselves

[1:13:49] yourselves, but the whole the county as

[1:13:51] a whole and the state as a whole. We're

[1:13:53] excited for this development. We're

[1:13:54] excited what it can do for the state,

[1:13:56] for

[1:13:57] the county, and military.

[1:14:00] Do you have any problems with us sharing

[1:14:02] with the public? I mean, obviously,

[1:14:04] we've we've been waiting to get

[1:14:05] everything for this, uh, interlocal

[1:14:07] cooperative agreement.

[1:14:09] Um,

[1:14:11] but if we were to say, "Hey, we want to

[1:14:12] share what what we're talking about as

[1:14:14] far as the information in the interlocal

[1:14:15] agreement and saying this is what we're

[1:14:17] working toward." Is that a problem if we

[1:14:18] share that with our public?

[1:14:20] That's fine. You can talk to it. What?

[1:14:23] That's fine. You'd be fine with that.

[1:14:24] So, we can say, "This is what we're

[1:14:26] working toward." And we've been asked I

[1:14:27] would just just let the public know

[1:14:29] we've been asking lots of questions

[1:14:30] since we were made aware of this. And,

[1:14:33] uh,

[1:14:34] unequivocally say that I know all three

[1:14:36] of us and and Austin, you can back you

[1:14:39] can you don't have to back us up, but

[1:14:41] all three of us were a hard no when this

[1:14:43] started, um,

[1:14:44] because of some concerns and the

[1:14:45] questions, and you've been answering

[1:14:47] questions. We do appreciate that.

[1:14:49] But

[1:14:50] there's like I said, this is

[1:14:53] coming fast and we were the last at the

[1:14:55] table and that's one of the concerns we

[1:14:56] have is the fact that we were last at

[1:14:58] the table.

[1:14:59] And that's one of the concerns we have

[1:15:00] right now as a commission as we're going

[1:15:02] through all this information. We just

[1:15:05] As has been mentioned by Commissioner

[1:15:06] Bingham, if we do this, it it is

[1:15:09] irrevocable and that is a concern we

[1:15:11] have as a county is we want to make sure

[1:15:13] that we're making the right decision for

[1:15:14] the citizens of Box Elder County moving

[1:15:16] forward and that's why we want to make

[1:15:17] sure that we we've done it right. So I

[1:15:19] think that's my concern. You have

[1:15:21] anything you want to share with us about

[1:15:22] that as your concern wise?

[1:15:24] No.

[1:15:24] That would be understandable. I will say

[1:15:26] the the rush [snorts] that Hillary

[1:15:28] speaks to is there are five groups that

[1:15:31] will front this that will get this over

[1:15:33] the line and we have the chance to

[1:15:36] kind of like she said jump the line and

[1:15:38] we've been told

[1:15:39] that that needs to happen this month

[1:15:41] whether that's true or not, but that's the reason for the rush.

[1:15:48] When I [clears throat] would echo

[1:15:49] Commissioner Perry, we've had lots of

[1:15:53] discussion trying to figure this out and

[1:15:54] understand this and and um

[1:15:58] although you know, through the studies

[1:16:00] and those type of things

[1:16:02] um we've learned a lot, but it's

[1:16:06] couple of concerning things and

[1:16:07] Commissioner Perry

[1:16:08] spoke of this is that we were brought in

[1:16:10] at the last at last hour.

[1:16:12] And then expected to just run with this.

[1:16:16] For us that was um frustrating and hard

[1:16:19] for us. Also over the weekend the amount

[1:16:22] of emails [clears throat]

[1:16:23] and those type of things that we've got

[1:16:24] from our constituents and from our

[1:16:26] citizens.

[1:16:28] Um

[1:16:28] and so

[1:16:29] I um

[1:16:31] I don't know. I I would concur with

[1:16:33] Commissioner

[1:16:34] uh Perry um

[1:16:36] and echo his same thoughts.

[1:16:38] And I'm sure Commissioner Bingham can

[1:16:40] speak to that as well if you'd like, so.

[1:16:42] Yep. Yep, I feel like there's more to be

[1:16:45] understood.

[1:16:46] Well, and I just put a We did We did say

[1:16:48] in a in our previous commission on the

[1:16:50] 3rd when we had public comment and when

[1:16:52] we met the last time, um we had public

[1:16:54] comment and we did pass a resolution

[1:16:56] saying we were We are interested.

[1:16:58] This is not to say that we're not

[1:16:59] interested in the project. That we're

[1:17:01] interested in it cuz just to give you

[1:17:03] some idea, um I pulled some numbers this

[1:17:04] morning.

[1:17:06] Um Box Elder County, if you take all the

[1:17:08] property taxes that are paid in this

[1:17:09] county, it's $75 million roughly $76

[1:17:11] million a year for every property tax

[1:17:13] that's paid in this county.

[1:17:14] And this return that we're talking about

[1:17:16] with full development would be $108

[1:17:18] million, which is far and exceed that.

[1:17:20] Um but there's there are costs that are

[1:17:22] going to be associated with this where

[1:17:23] we have to build out sewer systems,

[1:17:25] build fire departments. There's going to

[1:17:26] be things that have to happen that are

[1:17:28] going to cut cost cut into that cost.

[1:17:30] But it is a significant amount and uh so

[1:17:33] there is a

[1:17:34] That is part of what I just got that

[1:17:36] information this morning as I'm looking

[1:17:37] at it. And so that's why I want to be

[1:17:39] able to to mull that over. Um and so I

[1:17:42] am I want to move I want to continue to do that, but I would be make I'd be

[1:17:47] willing to make a motion if the chair is

[1:17:48] interested in a motion at this point.

[1:17:50] I'll I'll be great. Okay, my motion

[1:17:52] would be that uh

[1:17:54] we table the two items until next Monday

[1:17:57] and we reschedule another commission

[1:17:59] meeting for next Monday to address these

[1:18:01] issues once we've had time to share with

[1:18:03] the public the information we've been

[1:18:05] presented in the last 24 to 48 hours so

[1:18:08] that it's out there for the public to

[1:18:09] see

[1:18:10] and that uh we can

[1:18:13] come back and and make a decision

[1:18:16] next Monday.

[1:18:18] That would be MY MOTION.

[1:18:18] >> THAT.

[1:18:19] >> [applause]

[1:18:22] [cheering]

[1:18:24] >> HAVE A HAVE A MOTION BY COMMISSIONER

[1:18:26] Bingham or Commissioner Perry to table

[1:18:29] um the two items before us and a second

[1:18:31] by Commissioner Bingham.

[1:18:33] If there's no further discussion, all in

[1:18:35] favor?

[1:18:36] I.

[1:18:37] Motion passes.

[1:18:41] Do we need to decide what time our

[1:18:43] meeting will be on that Monday?

[1:18:45] Should we do 10:00 a.m.?

[1:18:49] 6:00 a.m.?

[1:18:52] Sorry. I want 4:00 a.m.

[1:18:55] Just kidding.

[1:18:56] >> [laughter]

[1:19:02] » Mr.

[1:19:03] What time would you like to do?

[1:19:05] No preference.

[1:19:06] Then any will work for me.

[1:19:08] Um

[1:19:10] Let's look at the schedule real quick.

[1:19:13] You got a career schedule.

[1:19:18] You want to go

[1:19:20] 4:00 in the afternoon like our afternoon

[1:19:21] meetings are?

[1:19:22] >> Okay with me.

[1:19:23] So I say we schedule a meeting for 4:00

[1:19:26] on Monday the 4th.

[1:19:29] Okay. Is that a motion?

[1:19:31] That is a motion to go 4:00 on Monday

[1:19:33] the 4th. We'll have another meeting.

[1:19:35] I'll second it.

[1:19:36] Motion to

[1:19:38] have a meeting Monday

[1:19:41] May 4th at 4:00 in these chambers.

[1:19:45] Um

[1:19:46] then be approved by Commissioner

[1:19:49] Perry made the motion second.

[1:19:53] Will that work for you folks? I'll be

[1:19:55] here.

[1:19:56] Okay.

[1:19:57] Have a second by Commissioner

[1:19:59] Bingham.

[1:20:00] >> Yes.

[1:20:01] You know what? Yes, sir.

[1:20:03] We have the possibility and I think we

[1:20:05] ought to do this for May 4th. I would

[1:20:06] like to fix my motion. I think May 4th

[1:20:09] 4:00 p.m. at 4:00 p.m. But we'll have it

[1:20:11] at the county Well, is it is it

[1:20:13] available?

[1:20:15] Verify that it's available, but I would

[1:20:17] like to I think if we can I'd like to

[1:20:18] I'm going to just verify real quickly,

[1:20:20] but I'd like to hold it in the

[1:20:21] fairgrounds in the fine arts building

[1:20:22] which is a larger facility for more

[1:20:24] people can be there. So let me just

[1:20:26] verify

[1:20:27] >> [applause]

[1:20:28] >> Let me just verify real quickly. We're

[1:20:29] going to find out if that that building

[1:20:31] is available real quickly, and then we

[1:20:32] will finish that motion.

[1:20:51] We're good? Okay.

[1:20:53] All right, the fairgrounds is available,

[1:20:54] so that my motion would be at 4:00 p.m.

[1:20:56] next Monday at the county fairgrounds is

[1:20:58] where we'll have the meeting. Second.

[1:21:00] Have a motion by

[1:21:02] Commissioner Perry to meet at the 4:00

[1:21:04] at the

[1:21:06] fairgrounds next week, and a second by

[1:21:09] Commissioner Bingham.

[1:21:11] All in favor, say aye. Aye.

[1:21:14] Okay.

[1:21:15] Appreciate it.

[1:21:15] >> I make a motion that we adjourn. Second.

[1:21:18] I have a motion by Commissioner Perry to

[1:21:19] adjourn, and second by Commissioner

[1:21:21] Bingham. All in favor, Aye. Thank you so

[1:21:24] much for being here. We appreciate you

[1:21:26] coming today.

[1:21:29] And I need a bag.

[1:21:32] I have one out in the car.

Box Elder County Special Commission Meeting

Transcript