New York State has published a Community Investment Framework that local governments can use when negotiating with data center developers. The centerpiece is a suggested fee of $1 million per megawatt of electrical demand, aimed at capturing community investment from large AI data centers.
The framework also encourages towns to look beyond the initial build. It advises planning for ongoing maintenance costs, the risk of site abandonment, and other contingencies that can strain local budgets after a data center is operational.
Because this is a recommendation rather than a mandate, individual municipalities will decide whether to adopt the suggested fee. The framework gives them a starting point for negotiations, but final terms will likely vary by location and project.