Key Takeaways:
- Data center development is accelerating rapidly, with approximately $550 billion in U.S. projects currently under development. The water and utility rate structures in place today were not designed for hyperscale demand, making early assessment essential for communities considering or facing a data center announcement.
- Practical readiness — not consultant-speak — is what protects communities. Naming a project manager, empowering a finance lead, and understanding water and sewer rate structures are immediate, tangible steps municipal leaders can take.
- Long after the announcement, local leaders are the ones managing the operational and financial reality. Building the right team, oversight structure, and audit-ready processes early is what separates communities that benefit from data center investment from those that struggle to absorb it.
EisnerAmper
By Robbi Dickens
May 20, 2026