Harken sells so much stuff that I would imagine the
taxes they pay to the city would more than pay for the cost of the utilities and pretty quickly. I would want a company like Harken in my city to increase the tax base even if it does cost some
money up front. It sounds like it would be more of an investment on the cities part than a handout.
I have seen it more than once where a company refuses to move in because of the unwillingness of a city council to compromise. So what happens?...the company takes it's tax revenue elsewhere.
Berkeley, CA is a prime example. The old hippies on the Berkeley City council have
lost a LOT of commerce to neighboring Emeryville, CA
Besides, it's really the responsibility of any city to build and maintain the city's infrastructure. That's one of the reasons why a city has
taxes.