The Largest Tax Incentive in Kansas History $50 BILLION for an AI Data Center

Oh, this is a doozy!!! Kansas, hold on to your billfolds and pocketbooks!

Last Thursday, August 21st, the De Soto City Council approved a development agreement with Mount Sunflower Properties, LLC (formed in Delaware in 2024) for an AI Data Center with a tax incentive price tag of $50 BILLION stretched out over 50 years. You read that correctly—$50 BILLION for 50 YEARS!

This deal was passed without the community being adequately notified. Residents living near the Flint Commerce Center, adjacent to the 9,000-acre former Sunflower Ammunition Plant, were not informed of the public hearing held on August 21st.

So many unanswered questions remain:

1. Who is the end user? The only name on the documents is Mount Sunflower Properties, LLC, formed in 2024. Who are the members? Is this speculative, with the developer seeking tax incentives before even securing a tenant?

2. Why $50 billion? The buildout of the 3 phase project is 1.1 million sq. ft.  How could that possibly generate $50 billion in abated taxes?

3. Water use: The three planned buildings will draw from Johnson County Water District #7 and/or the City of De Soto, both relying on the Kansas River. How much water will this require? How will the concentrated mineral waste from cooling the servers be managed?

4. Water treatment: Can De Soto and/or Water District #7 handle this enormous demand? Will we be required to restrict our water usage as in Texas?

5. Regional impact: How will this affect Miami County residents served by Water District #7? Was the Miami County Commission even notified?

6. Power demand: What is the estimated power demand on Evergy? Will there be brownouts?

7. Transparency: Why wasn’t the community thoroughly notified of this enormous project with full details on the impact, scale, and tax burden before approval?

And to the rest of Kansas—consider this: Industrial Revenue Bonds (IRBs) exempt the project’s construction materials from sales tax. With construction costs estimated at $2.1 billion, at least $65 million in sales tax will be diverted away from state coffers into the developers’ pockets. This is money that should be funding schools, roads, and community services.

All of this is being justified under the banner of “economic development” and “incentives,” but in reality it’s corporate welfare on a staggering scale. The developers are avoiding property and sales taxes while demanding massive amounts of water and electricity—costs that will ripple across the entire region.

What can you do?

• If you live in De Soto: Call your City Council members. Ask them to reconsider this development agreement at the September 4th meeting so the community can have a true voice in the process. De Soto City Council contact info here.

• If you live outside De Soto: Call your State Representative or Senator. Ask why state statutes allow a company formed in 2024, with no end user, to receive $50 billion in tax incentives. Legislative directory here.

This is too big of an ask for Kansans to be rushed through without full transparency.

For more details, see KCTV5’s coverage and the official documents here:
De Soto City Council $50 Billion Data Center Incentive Story

To stop this insanity of supposed “economic development” a true conservative Republican MUST be elected next year as Governor of Kansas. I need your help. By mid December I must have 800 individual contributions at a minimum of $100 to qualify for the GOP gubernatorial debate being held January 30th in Wichita. This is not about me, this is about you and your family.

Charlotte O’Hara
Republican for Kansas Governor, 2026