Who Let This Happen
The Stargate deal did not happen in secret. It happened in public, at a city council meeting, with nearly no one watching. These are the officials who voted yes to an 85% property tax abatement for a $3.5 billion project and said nothing about what it would do to the people who live here.
Presided over the February 2025 special meeting where the 85% property tax abatement for Stargate was approved. The meeting was sparsely attended. Only two members of the public spoke. One opposed. The vote was unanimous.
Every sitting council member voted in favor of the abatement at a special meeting that most Abilene residents had no idea was happening. No council member called for a comprehensive public impact study on housing, water, or air quality before the vote.
The DCOA estimated a $4 billion economic impact over 20 years to justify the deal. When journalists asked for the methodology behind that number, the DCOA refused to share it. The number has never been independently verified. The housing crisis is being independently verified every day.
Taylor County approved its portion of the property tax abatement, compounding the city's deal. The cumulative effect: a $3.5 billion project pays a fraction of what it would owe in local taxes while straining county roads, water infrastructure, and emergency services.
Every one of these officials has public contact information, a social media presence, and constituents they need votes from. Comment on every post they make. Show up to every public meeting. File open records requests for every communication between city officials and Oracle, Crusoe, Lancium, and SoftBank. Ask publicly why the economic impact methodology was never released. Abilene is a small town. These people live here too.