WASHINGTON (WRDW/WAGT) – Columbia County Board of Commissioners Chairman Doug Duncan appeared on stage in Washington, D.C., Thursday with President Donald Trump at a roundtable on data centers. At the meeting, Duncan announced a “strategic data center partnership” between Columbia County, Georgia Power, Southern Company and Google. Duncan’s visit to Washington included a briefing with Trump on the deal. “Together, the three of us have crafted a deal that establishes some of the most restrictive data center covenants in the country,” Duncan said. “It protects the ratepayers and sets us on a direct path to eliminate the county homestead property tax.” Duncan said the goal of eliminating homestead property taxes was the driving force behind the county’s involvement from the start. “We went into this solely for the reason to eliminate homestead property taxes and we’ve stayed true through all of the negotiations to get to that point,” Duncan said. He said the process was not without resistance. “Meeting after meeting, disinformation that we were pounded on, frankly,” Duncan said. “But we stood firm because we knew this was what was best for Columbia County and, frankly, the American dream.” Officials said Columbia County worked with its partners to establish a framework of restrictive covenants designed to protect residents and preserve quality of life. The framework includes: Officials said Google has committed to paying 100 percent of all energy costs associated with the…
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