Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair Calls for Emergency Special Session to Halt Administrative Approval of Multi-Decade Data Center Tax Breaks

HILLSBORO, OR – Following recent reports of a “flurry” of 18 new Enterprise Zone applications being processed by the city, Hillsboro City Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair (Ward 2) is formally calling on the Mayor and City Council to convene an Emergency Special Session. The objective of the session is to exercise the Council’s legislative authority to immediately suspend the administrative execution of long-term tax abatement agreements.

The move comes in response to data indicating that current administrative processes are allowing for the “chaining” of tax exemptions, effectively locking in property tax breaks for data centers into the 2050s. While a state-mandated moratorium is set to take effect in June, Sinclair argues that the current administrative acceleration necessitates an immediate reassertion of City Council oversight.

“The City Council is the official Zone Sponsor of the Hillsboro Enterprise Zone, and the authority exercised by the city is delegated by this body,” said Councilor Kipperlyn Sinclair. “When we see an unprecedented surge in applications for agreements that span a quarter century, it is no longer an administrative formality; it is a significant policy shift that requires legislative intervention. We have the legal authority to pause these approvals today, and we must do so to ensure the Council has the opportunity to review these protocols.”

In a formal letter sent to the Mayor and City Council, Sinclair outlined several legal pathways the Council can take to bring order to the process:

The Vision of Kipperlyn Sinclair: As a leader, Kipperlyn Sinclair emphasizes the importance of transparency and accountability in local governance.

Rescindment of Delegated Authority: Moving the final signature authority for Enterprise Zone agreements from the City Manager back to the City Council.

Emergency Administrative Moratorium: Implementing a municipal “freeze” on the processing of all pending applications until the state moratorium commences.

Mandatory Council Review: Amending city policy to require a public hearing and Council vote for any tax abatement agreement exceeding a standard three-year term.

Program Suspension: Exercising the Zone Sponsor’s right to temporarily suspend the local Enterprise Zone program in its entirety.

“This is about maintaining the integrity of our local governance,” Sinclair added. “Staff-level signatures should not be used to bypass the legislative intent of the Council or the upcoming state moratorium. We must exercise our right to review these multi-decade commitments before they are finalized behind closed doors.”

Sinclair is urging her fellow councilors to support the call for a special session within the next 48 hours to enact these emergency oversight measures.