Wisconsin Town Votes to Restrict Tax Incentives for OpenAI Data Center
The referendum reflects growing local backlash to large-scale AI infrastructure projects.
April 8, 2026 – Residents of Port Washington, Wisconsin, voted to limit local officials’ ability to grant tax incentives for large development projects, triggered by a proposed $15 billion data center backed by OpenAI and Oracle.
The referendum, which passed Tuesday, requires city leaders to obtain voter approval for future projects worth more than $10 million before offering tax incentives to developers.
The measure was driven by plans to build a 1.3-gigawatt artificial intelligence data center campus tied to the Stargate project, a $500 billion initiative led by OpenAI, SoftBank, and other key technical partners to build massive AI data center infrastructure in the U.S., backed by President Donald Trump.
