Faith leaders gathered in South Bend Thursday to urge Microsoft to pay the community more as it builds its Granger data center.
Pastors like to use analogies and symbolism to help followers connect with their message. On Thursday members of We Make Indiana staged a press conference at Transpo’s downtown transfer station, then rode the No. 5 bus across town to another press conference at Christ the King Church.
Transpo is cutting the No. 5 route and others amid declining property tax revenue caused by the Indiana General Assembly. That same body has exempted data centers from sales taxes, which will save Microsoft hundreds of millions of dollars.
We Make Indiana wants Microsoft to pay into a fund that will meet the community’s growing social service needs. Ryan Juskus is a lay leader at Church of the Savior.
“At the moment what we’ve had is county officials really kind of standing with Microsoft and saying that a couple grants to local nonprofits is going to be enough to kind of appease the community, whereas we see a whole lot more,” Juskus said.
Microsoft declined our interview request.
