Tina Cannon on MIDA, the Stratos Data Center & Who Oversees It

From Utah Real Talk · 1:19:28

Show by Charles Max Wood

Host Charles Max Wood talks with Utah State Auditor Tina Cannon about what her office oversees and the more than $520 million in waste, fraud and abuse it has identified. The conversation centers on the Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA). Cannon traces it from the Falcon Hill project at Hill Air Force Base to the Stratos data center in Box Elder County. She explains its quasi-governmental powers, how tax increment financing and public infrastructure district debt work, and what those arrangements can mean for local services and schools. The two discuss the Mayflower Mountain Resort, why MIDA projects can move quickly, how much audit oversight her office has over MIDA, and what residents can do. Cannon also walks through the new MIDA page on Utah's transparency website. 00:00 Meet Auditor Tina Cannon 00:57 Half a Billion in Waste 03:13 The New MIDA Transparency Page 09:09 Process, Not the Data Center 12:44 MIDA's Origins at Hill 17:07 MIDA's Quasi-Government Powers 19:09 Fund Accounting and Tax Increment 29:16 The Vineyard Example 32:02 Data Centers and Lake Tahoe 33:19 The Mayflower Mountain Resort 38:41 MIDA Spending and Debt 45:05 Super PIDs vs. Regular PIDs 53:30 Why Stratos Moved So Fast 58:06 Who Audits MIDA 1:01:48 Stratos Tax Breaks and Land 1:03:28 What Concerned Citizens Can Do 1:06:53 Government or Private Entity 1:13:35 Where to Find the Facts

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