For more than a year, Mason County residents had no way of knowing who wanted to build a nearly 3,000-acre hyperscale data center in their community. Local officials signed non-disclosure agreements that kept the name hidden. Only this month did Judge-Executive Owen McNeill confirm the company is Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram.

Now a tentative deal would let Meta avoid local property taxes for up to 40 years. The plan relies on industrial revenue bonds: the county would hold the land and lease it back to a Meta subsidiary, keeping the campus off the property tax rolls. Instead of paying full taxes, Meta would send the county $5 million a year and the county school district $2 million a year.

A deal this long would set the terms for a whole generation of Mason County families, schools and taxpayers. Even Jim Parsons, the attorney who walked the Fiscal Court through the agreement, called the payment plan “not perfect,” according to the Kentucky Lantern.

Gov. Andy Beshear has issued an executive order saying companies building data centers in Kentucky must contribute their “full and fair share” when it comes to local taxes, according to the Kentucky Lantern. Members of a local residents’ group are asking whether this deal meets that standard.

Meta has also promised at least $130 million for water, wastewater, roads and public safety, plus 400 full-time jobs. Those promises should be binding, with real consequences if they fall short.

The Mason County Fiscal Court should reject the 40-year property tax exemption, release the full agreement to the public, hold open hearings before any final vote, and put every commitment from Meta in enforceable writing.

Sign the petition to tell the Mason County Fiscal Court that Meta must pay its fair share before this deal is locked in for the next 40 years.