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Per current $100m Hut 8 agreement with parish, town of St. Francisville gets nothing
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ST. FRANCISVILLE — St. Francisville is set to be transformed by a multi-billion-dollar data center, but the town itself is not included in the financial agreement that will bring nearly $100 million a year to West Feliciana Parish.
As WBRZ has extensively reported, Hut 8 agreed to a Payment In Lieu Of Taxes program with the parish. Under that deal, nearly $100 million each year will be split between the sheriff's office, school board and parish government.
The town's police and fire departments are left out of that agreement entirely. Police Chief Chris Green and Fire Chief Mike Lemming both declined to be interviewed and deferred to Mayor Andy D'Aquilla.
The mayor told WBRZ by phone that while the town is doing fine, it could certainly benefit from some of those millions, but that those conversations have not occurred.
Chief Green has said in a previous interview that some of his department's units and gear were donated by the sheriff's office. According to sources in the department, the fire station's newest pumper truck is from 2000.
Parish President Kenny Havard says the town has not made any formal requests for funding.
"If and when the town needs any help from the parish, we will be there for them," Havard said.
Officials say St. Francisville was not intentionally excluded from the agreement.
Hut 8 is leasing the property it is building on in St. Francisville from an Industrial Development Board made up of Superintendent Hollis Milton, Sheriff Brian Spillman and Councilman Clay Pinson.
In July, Hut 8 made a $10 million prepayment, which the parish will pay back once the first full payment comes in. Of that $10 million, $5.3 million went to the school board, $3.9 million went to the parish government and $800,000 went to the sheriff's office.
All three entities used the money for employee bonuses. The sheriff's office's 75 employees will each receive $8,000, split into two payments and school system employees will receive $7,000 each.
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