In bid to stop Saline Data Center tax break, an attorney argues the township skipped crucial steps

An attorney representing a Saline Township resident is asking Michigan's State Tax Commission to deny a property tax abatement for a $43 billion hyperscale data center backed by Oracle, OpenAI and Related Digital, arguing the township never legally created the district needed to grant it. Attorney Ellis Boal contends state law required a public hearing before establishing an 'industrial development district,' a step that had to precede any exemption request, and that the township posted notice for a September hearing but never held it.

Boal points to comments from the township's own attorney, who told board members after a zoning denial that the hearing was no longer necessary — a rationale Boal says doesn't hold up once the board later reversed course, rezoned the property under threat of legal action, and established the district in October anyway. He also notes the exemption application lists a February 2026 construction start date, which he says conflicts with rules on how far in advance such certificates must be filed.

The township's supervisor and Oracle did not respond to requests for comment, and the letter to the tax commission notably wasn't sent to any township board members. A second attorney assisting the township said he couldn't comment because he hadn't seen the letter or its exhibits.

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