Elk Grove Village to give $200 gift cards to all households after data center property sale

A $200 bonus is coming to thousands of households in the northwest Chicago suburb of Elk Grove Village.

The village is sending prepaid Visa gift cards to all of its 14,000 households. The money is coming from data centers, a hot-button issue in several suburbs.

The sale of two data center properties for more than $1.4 billion generated more than $4 million in real estate transfer tax revenue, according to the village.

Elk Grove Village has decided to pass along the windfall to residents.

"Our thriving business community helps us keep costs down for residents every day," Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson said in a news release. "But every so often, we get a chance to do something a little extra and share some of that success directly with our residents. That's a special opportunity, and we're glad to be able to do it."

The village noted that it has provided direct financial relief to residents five times in the last six years. The village also issued $200  water bill credits to every household and waived certain business and license fees for its businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, and also distributed $200 Visa prepaid gift cards to residents in 2022 and 2024.

The 2024 gift card distribution was also funded by revenues involving a data center.