06/08/2026
Microsoft: We won’t be annexed.
While Harris Township has no official say about whether there is a data center in Granger, its residents will be impacted. A major consideration is fire protection, for which the township is responsible. We’ve talked with Microsoft representatives. Work has begun.
At the time of the re-zoning discussions (May 2024), and repeated multiple times recently, Microsoft representatives assured the township they will not seek, and will not accept annexation into Mishawaka. We take them at their word.
This is critical because annexation changes who is responsible for fire protection, and who receives tax revenues to pay for the many aspects of it.
Our fire department, the Clay Fire Territory, is preparing but has received no new tax revenue. We’ve also identified investments that would help, but have received none to date.
Residents should not assume fire departments are always adequately funded. More on that later.
Note: Harris Township’s two fire stations are 0.8 miles 2.6 miles from the data center location, while Mishawaka’s closest station is 5 miles away. Trustee Lindsay made this and related points when he spoke at a St. Joseph Farms rezoning public hearing in 2024.
