Texas Scorecard by Paige Feild October 22, 2025
Local officials are weighing potential economic gains and constituents’ wishes.Data centers are surging in number around Texas—oftentimes to opposition from local residents. State officials must confront the high costs of serving data center companies while protecting local communities and resources.
Uncertain water consumption by data centers in Texas continues to exacerbate the infrastructure, drought, and aquifer concerns. Due to the common drought conditions in the state, data collection that reflects historical water usage is important to ensuring water and resources are responsibly allocated.
High electricity demands from the data centers are contributing to rising costs and state regulators warn of “lower system stability.”
Some local government officials—including the Taylor City Council and the Bosque County Commissioners—have given tax incentives to entice data center companies to come to the area, despite concerns from residents.
These deals are offered in hopes of bringing economic prosperity through job creation and property tax revenue after the tax incentive period is over.
However, the data center company Crusoe, which is building facilities in Texas, mentioned “specialized roles do require bringing in specific expertise from across the nation” in a recent press release, indicating that not all jobs will be filled with local residents.
Williamson CountyThe Taylor City Council approved a Blueprint Data Center on land the city owns near a residential area. When the land was transferred to a nonprofit in 1999, a deed restriction required it “to be held in trust for future use as parkland by Williamson County.”
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/state/texas-data-center-boom-and-the-local-backlash/
