Despite a massive public outcry, the El Paso City Council rejected a plan to cancel the city’s agreement with Meta for its vast Northeast data center.
The City Council voted 5-3 to reject a plan that would have directed city staff to begin negotiations to terminate the company’s 380 Agreement and other incentives, effectively crippling the project. City Reps. Alejandra Chavez, Deanna Maldonado-Rocha, Cynthia Boyar Trejo, Ivan Nino and Art Fierro voted to squash the proposal, while city Reps. Josh Acevedo, Lily Limon and Chris Canales voted in favor.
Dozens of residents turned out to voice opposition to the project, with most citing the data center’s environmental impacts, specifically the vast amounts of water it is expected to use.
Residents hold signs outside the El Paso City Council meeting Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at City Hall in El Paso, Texas, regarding the construction of a Meta data center.
The vote comes after Mayor Renard Johnson, along with City Manager Dionne Mack and City Attorney Karla Nieman, warned that canceling the agreement with Meta could result in significant legal costs for the city and negatively impact its reputation as a place to do business.
But Acevedo, who introduced the proposal along with Limon, doubted that assertion.
“I’ve heard some argue that terminating this contract would be bad for economic development and bad for business … constructing a hyperscale data center is not the answer,” he said.
“We won’t have a city without water resources,” Acevedo added.
More: Could new rules limit future data centers in El Paso?
Acevedo met with Meta representatives in May and urged them to meet with the community, but they refused, citing security concerns, he said.
“That is not good business on their side,” he said. “That is unacceptable. That is a huge slap in the face of El Paso, and I will not stand for it.”
Outside counsel makes case
Making the case for maintaining the current agreement was Sandy Gomez, an attorney with Husch Blackwell serving as outside counsel for the city.
In a brief presentation, Gomez laid out the possible financial impacts of canceling the agreement with Meta, which included the sale of 1,000 acres of land, a 380 Agreement that provides an 80% property tax reimbursement for 15 years, a 312 Agreement that includes an 80% tax abatement for 10 years, and a requirement of 50 full-time jobs and completion of construction within seven years of initiation.
More: Texas’ data center tax break could cost billions
The following are the expected financial impacts of canceling the project:
Cost to repurchase land: $8.5 million
Actual damages: $370 million – $760 million
Consequential damages: Market value
Tort damages: Undetermined
Attorney fees: Undetermined
Gomez said the current contract provides no avenue for termination without cause. The contract can only be terminated if the company fails to meet investment, employment or construction benchmarks, defaults on company taxes or employs undocumented workers.
Public outcry
More than 180 people signed up to speak, the vast majority of whom called for the Meta agreement to be canceled.
For Megan Jimerson, a teacher at Harmony Public Schools, the biggest reason to push Meta’s data center out of the Borderland is to protect the future for the next generation.
“The decisions the Council has made … are bigger than this room,” she said. “They’re bigger than the contract and they’re bigger than Meta.”
Ismael Ortiz and his children, Miles and Lake, were among the dozens of residents who turned out for the El Paso City Council meeting Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in support of a proposal to cancel tax incentives for the massive Meta data center in Northeast El Paso.
“The environment is already begging for help,” Jimerson continued. “Today, we all have a chance, not to become rich or close any deficits, but to be an outlier and do what’s best for our children and our desert. No data center is going to be worth our desert.”
Claudia Contreras put it simply: “We cannot drink data.”
Diana Ramirez warned City Council members that their legacy would be forever tied to Tuesday’s vote.
“Most of you voted to stop future builds because you know this is wrong …,” she said. “This isn’t hard, it just takes political courage. So, whose side are you on? The people of El Paso, or one of the wealthiest corporations in history?”
But not everyone was opposed to keeping the contract. Several members of a local IBEW chapter advocated keeping the contract to provide good jobs for area workers. Ricardo Rivero, who had previously moved to Midland for a higher-paying job, was among them.
More: Fort Bliss data center complex to be shared by Army, commercial users
“For the first time in my career, I feel like I can build a future in El Paso instead of somewhere else,” he said. “For every person like me who was able to come home, there are others still looking for opportunity. I was fortunate enough to come home; I hope future generations of El Pasoans won’t have to leave in the first place.”
El Paso Chamber CEO Ricardo Mora touted the potential economic boom the Meta project represents, specifically an estimated $15 million a year in tax dollars, as well as the negative impact breaking the agreement would have on future business development.
“This is not just a policy decision,” he said, “it is a credibility decision.”
In the end, less than 10 of the 183 speakers advocated for the project.
Photos: Crowd packs City Council, opposes data center water use
1 of 10
Residents hold signs outside the El Paso City Council meeting Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at City Hall in El Paso, Texas, regarding the construction of a Meta data center.
(Diego Cruz-Castruita/ El Paso Times)
Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso City Council rejects plan to cancel Meta data center