BLAKELY, Ga. (WTVY) -The city of Blakely has approved a memorandum of understanding with Early County, the Early County Board of Education, the Early County Development Authority, and Quality Technology Services Data Centers — the company looking to bring a data center to the area.

The collaborative economic development agreement, discussed during a Blakely City Council meeting, guarantees income for the city and other participating entities.

Under the agreement, QTS will pay the Early County Development Authority $7.5 million for the first phase of the project, followed by annual payments of $7 million. That money will be divided among the city, county, and school system.

Blakely’s city attorney said the funds could support improvement projects at the city park, the Washington High building, and street and road repairs, among other projects.

“There’s a lot of work to be done. This is just the first step. And the three governments here will have to meet and agree on how to divide the money,” city attorney Tommy Coleman said. “We’ve got to meet with the company and decide on certain things like water, sewer, transportation, other development issues like that. And then when we get through with that, hopefully that will be sufficient to move forward with everything.”

The data center, known as Project Blue Hole, has been a source of controversy among Blakely residents. Some support the project because of its economic impacts, while others have raised concerns about environmental impacts.

This story has been corrected after an earlier version categorized the agreement as a tax break.

Download the WTVY News4 app to get alerts and stories the moment they are published. Available for FREE in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store!

Copyright 2026 WTVY. All rights reserved.