The city’s own economic-development philosophy argues that El Paso needs the kind of investment that a hyperscale data center represents – private capital, a new industrial operation, an expansion of the taxbase and a connection to a global company operating in an industry far removed from the city’s traditional economic base.
The META 380 Agreement ticks off the right economic development boxes but when compared to Woody Hunt’s August 2022 study it shows that it fails El Paso’s economic development needs.
On August 16, 2022, Woody Hunt released The Perryman Group, “Developing the El Paso Economy: Key to Supporting Local Needs” study he commissioned through his foundation to a select group of El Pasoans. On the surface, the study supports the incentives for economic development that META received. It argues for more private-sector economic activity and that incentives are an important weapon in competing for corporate investment…