LIVINGSTON — Livingston Parish President Randy Delatte announced on Tuesday that he has not signed an NDA regarding any business coming to Livingston Parish and as of now, there are no plans for a data center.

The announcement comes as discussions concerning a potential data center in Livingston Parish began circulating on Monday, according to Delatte. 

"Let me be clear: I have not signed a non-disclosure agreement regarding any business coming to Livingston Parish," Delatte said. "To my knowledge, no locally elected official in Livingston Parish has signed one regarding a business coming here."

Delatte went on to say that in order to reduce the property tax burden on homeowners, the parish must grow its commercial and industrial tax base through a major investment that could help create opportunities.

"We should be thinking about what the future could mean for our children and grandchildren. Opportunities to build careers, raise families and make a good living right here at home. But pursuing opportunity does not mean accepting a project at any cost."

Delatte said that issues of water, electricity, drainage, roads, emergency services and impact on the surrounding neighborhoods must all be addressed before a deal could potentially take place. He also said that the parish would need protection against a project's utility and infrastructure costs being passed onto residents

"We've seen what major investment can mean elsewhere in Louisiana. In Richland Parish, sales tax revenue associated with Meta's construction helped fund year-end payments of roughly $50,000 for teachers."

Dellate said if the parish ever lands a large investment, he wants the community to see real benefits.

While there is no data center to announce, Delatte promised that if there is a proposal in the future to share the facts of the potential deal with the public.