At this week’s City Council meeting (October 6, 2025), residents once again spoke powerfully about what SK hynix really means for West Lafayette — not promises of prosperity, but decades of financial strain, risk, and loss of public trust.
One resident broke it down clearly: who pays, who profits, and what’s at stake.
Here’s his statement — worth reading in full:
Resident Testimony —
The Real Cost of SK hynix
“I’d like to discuss the supposed economic benefits of the SK hynix project, because it seems that some of us think that it’ll be a catastrophe if this doesn’t go through.
But consider the cost of expanding sewage — that we just talked about today — $15 million or more.
Water supplies, which are already at capacity, will have to expand.
Roads, fire, and safety services — these costs are far greater for SK hynix than for an equivalent number of new residents.
With new residents come schools and city services — but how are we going to pay for this?
Some argue that by adding more residents, we spread the cost.
However, when has this ever been true?
West Lafayette has been growing for years, and our property taxes have never gone down.
Here’s the problem:
SK hynix will be getting half of all new property taxes for the next 30 years —
not only from new developments but also from increases in taxes on our own homes.
As costs go up, our ability to pay goes down.
West Lafayette will keep growing, with or without SK hynix.
But how can we fund the future when half of our tax growth goes to one corporation?
And think about inflation:
as costs for water, roads, and construction skyrocket over the next 10–30 years,
half of every tax dollar increase will go to SK hynix.
So I ask:
Why do they deserve all of this?
Why do they deserve this income — on the backs of our community —
when we’re already at full employment?
Why take the health and economic risks of putting this plant in the middle of a neighborhood,
when it costs nothing to build in Lafayette — where there’s water capacity six times larger,
proper sewage systems, and access to highways?
Thank you.”
This Is the Truth They Don’t Want to Hear
People who will benefit from or push for SK Hynix frame the toxic facility in dense neighborhoods as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity.”
But they refuse to talk about the true cost — public debt, environmental risk, and loss of local control.
If this is such a great deal, why won’t they sign a disclosure, show the full contract, or let residents see the data?
Take Action
- Share this update and the petition— let your neighbors see what’s really happening.
- Watch the full public comment here: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BLsKRV48x/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Support the legal challenge → https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-our-neighborhood-from-industrial-threat
- Stay informed → https://forms.gle/LP7ZUkqWA8wuK4pWA
- Follow us → https://www.facebook.com/stopheavyindustry
- https://stopheavyindustry.com/
3,000+ neighbors have spoken.
We pay the price. They take the profit.
It’s time to stop SK hynix from turning our town into their playground.
——Stop Heavy Industry Team