Upper Kittitas County | October 2026
Independent research on the proposed development, broadband and industry, local taxes, public-service costs, and the City Heights judgment and Chapter 9 financial context.
A proposal of this scale deserves more than a simple yes-or-no debate. The documents below separate reported project claims from public records, research findings and illustrative financial scenarios. They examine when private infrastructure can benefit a wider community, and what must be verified before assigning it public value.
A Rev 1.01 illustrated presentation covering economic-development research, the reported project, Washington's Quincy experience, risks, measurable safeguards, and the City Heights/Chapter 9 context. Includes clickable sources.
View public discussion brief (PDF)Primary-source evidence, local tax and budget baselines, scenario-based property and utility taxes, operating costs, 20-year discounted cash flows, debt-service sensitivity and a linked primary-source ledger. All numbered references are linked.
View detailed assessment (PDF)Strong Towns (Charles L. Marohn Jr., 2019) provides the long-term municipal financial productivity test. Fiber (Susan Crawford, 2019) provides the shared connectivity, competition and access test. These books supply analytical frameworks, not a project-specific revenue or broadband forecast.
Washington's federal BEAD broadband program is a separate, complementary initiative: approximately $1.228 billion was originally allocated federally, with $736.3 million in approved federal deployment funds and approximately $1.020 billion in total approved deployment investment including match. BEAD is not a funding award for the proposed private data center. Any shared benefits would depend on the actual routes, projects, providers, and access commitments.
The Rev 1.01 (Oct 2026) editions compare real-world operating outcomes, negotiated payments, water and concentration issues, and a rejected 20 MW proposal across Prineville, Hermiston, Quincy, New Albany, The Dalles, La Pine and Forest City. These examples identify public-value mechanisms and verification requirements; they are not forecasts for Cle Elum. Both PDFs now display a revision identifier on every printed page.
Studies support the economic value of broadband and reliable infrastructure. They do not prove that a private data center will expand affordable local broadband. The detailed fiscal model tests plausible revenues and public costs; it is not an audited forecast. New municipal tax revenue could affect Cle Elum's long-term fiscal options, but it is not automatically available to satisfy the City Heights judgment. Any debt payment depends on lawful fund availability and the Chapter 9 outcome.
Prepared by Karl Ohlemann | karl.ohlemann@ksigadvisors.com | October 2026. The PDFs are discussion and scenario-analysis materials, not a legal opinion, engineering assessment or endorsement of a particular permit decision.