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Amazon poised to win $1 billion in tax breaks from one of Oregon’s smallest counties

Updated: May. 10, 2023, 5:14 p.m. | Published: May. 10, 2023, 6:04 a.m.



By Mike Rogoway | The Oregonian/OregonLive

UPDATE: Amazon secures $1 billion in tax breaks for five new data centers in eastern Oregon

Officials in remote Morrow County are set to vote Wednesday on some of the largest tax breaks in Oregon history, a package of enterprise zone incentives worth more than $1 billion over 15 years designed to lure five more enormous Amazon data centers. ... Wednesday’s vote by commissioners at the Port of Morrow didn’t appear on the commission’s agenda until Tuesday morning. Three other public bodies in Morrow County have already approved the tax deals, each in cursory votes with little public discussion.

The port will vote amid two state investigations related to local officials’ dealings with Amazon. And Wednesday’s vote comes less than a week before an election that could change the balance of power on the port commission, potentially seating Amazon critics who have said the community deserves a better deal from the tech giant.

Two current port commissioners are part owners of Amazon’s local fiber provider, Windwave Communications, and acknowledge they stand to benefit personally if the company wins the tax incentives. It’s not clear if they plan to recuse themselves from Wednesday’s vote, and whether the tax deal will have enough votes to pass if they don’t participate.

Wednesday’s port meeting also comes as the Oregon Legislature considers reforms to the enterprise zone program that could limit the duration of the incentives and require more transparency from those awarding the tax breaks. The state reforms, if they pass, wouldn’t take effect until 2025 and wouldn’t apply to incentives awarded before then.

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-- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | 503-294-7699

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