A lawsuit challenging an ordinance requiring public votes on large new tax incentives was dismissed Oct. 19 in Ozaukee County Circuit Court, according to a report in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The ordinance, backed by data center opponents, could still be challenged in higher courts, but it stands for now.
It was approved by voters in an April referendum following approval of a large data center that included $458 million in local tax incentives, including tax increment funding.
The $15 billion data center campus was developed by Vantage Data Centers, Oracle and OpenAI.
Ozaukee County Circuit Court Judge Adam Gerol issued the ruling after a challenge to the ordinance was brought by business and trade groups that are concerned about the rule’s effect on future economic development.
Great Lakes Neighbors United, a data center opposition group, first proposed the ordinance and later defended it in court.
