Crook County data center tax breaks: Nearly $102 million

The huge data centers built in Prineville by tech giants Facebook and Apple have brought Crook County about $695,000 in property tax revenues over the past six years, while the two companies’ property tax abatements for those buildings and all those computers have tallied nearly $102 million, county Assessor Brian Huber said.

The recent announcement of another major expansion of the Facebook facility “has generated many questions” about the county’s long-term rural enterprise zone and a property tax abatement of seven to 15 years, Huber said in a Friday Facebook posting of a document about the program.

“Any type of business activity is eligible,” Huber wrote, “but these incentives depend on local approval and minimum levels for investment size, job creation and employee creation.”

The enterprise zone allows the companies to abate their taxes for machinery and equipment, buildings and business personal property for 15 years. The land, however, is valued and taxed in the same manner as any other property, the assessor said.

Huber stressed that the property tax deal is abatement, not an exemption, as properties can be disqualified from the program if certain requirements are not met.

The tax abatement for Facebook’s first two buildings will expire in 2027 and 2028, while the abatement for the third building will begin next year and expire in 2033, Huber said. The two new buildings approved this month will begin their tax abatement period as soon as they are up and running.

Facebook has paid $202,860 in property taxes on their land, while the total amount of taxes abated for the company between 2012 and 2017 is $71,577,958.

Apple’s tax abatements will expire in 2028, 2030 and 2032, based on when its buildings were placed in service, Huber wrote.

Apple has paid $491,987 in property taxes on its land since 2013, the assessor said, while its total amount of taxes abated over that time is $30,267,217.