Opponents of the planned $5 billion Rivian electric vehicle factory asked a judge this week to overturn a Morgan County, Georgia, board's approval of a rental agreement with the company, alleging the deal violates the state constitution.
If the court agrees, it could threaten the project and invalidate some $700 million in future property tax savings that local officials offered to lure California-based Rivian to build its second factory in Georgia.
At issue is a rental agreement between a local development authority and Rivian on about 2,000 acres along I-20 that straddles Walton and Morgan counties where the factory will rise. Last month, the Morgan County Board of Tax Assessors ruled the agreement constituted a usufruct, a type of lease that does not make Rivian's interest in the property taxable.
