Comments on: Google Officially Selects Lenoir for Data Center

By: Yang

Yang — Sun, 18 May 2008 02:14:50 +0000

I just heard about google being built in Lenior, does anyone know the phone number or the exact location of the google building in Lenior?

By: Debra

Debra — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 15:02:11 +0000

Taxpayers should never be roped into subsidizing a private business just because that business might be “good for the community”. I can see that selfish interests would motivate a decision to favor incentives when a certain individual (or business) feels that he or she might benefit from the new boost. But because I can see the reasoning, it does not make it right.

Governments and policy makers should resist such tendancies.

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 22:23:49 +0000

Giant boost for the local economy. Jobs provided trump the local government concerns about taxes. Good all around.

By: T.J.

T.J. — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 03:02:09 +0000

That’s not the theory with taxes. Taxes are supposed to pay for the services you use. Now, other taxpayers will pick up the burden that Google is avoiding. It’s much better to cut spending across the board, reducing regulations and the like, so that old businesses, new businesses and individuals all share in the benefit. We DID cut a deal with Google on water, since they’ll be such a big user. In that case, I was pretty much OK with working a deal with them. Your theory applies there. We’ll have to expand to meet their needs, but because of economies of scale, our profits overall should increase.

By: Andy Beal

Andy Beal — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 02:16:30 +0000

T.J. thanks for commenting. Do you not buy the idea that bringing Google to Lenoir could be the start of an economic revival for the area? In business, I’ve often giving away service for free, to a big brand, so I can use that to attract other big companies – all of which pay for the service. Do you not see something similar happening here?

By: T.J.

T.J. — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 02:06:32 +0000

Iâ€™m the sole member of the City Council or County Commissioners who voted against the incentives. I oppose them on philosophical and political grounds. As happy as I am to have Google coming to Lenoir, Iâ€™m afraid the incentives may really hurt the other Lenoir taxpayers over the next thirty years. Did you know that the City and County’s incentives don’t even require Google to meet any investment, job number or salary goals?

T.J. Rohr

By: Dean

Dean — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 18:18:54 +0000

Sure there are spillover effects including invigorating and retooling an area for the 21st century as well as the boost to the local economy, but high level math says the state spent ~500,000 per job created. It’s good to be Google!