Home KSCJ News SALIX COUNCIL VOTES DOWN DATA CENTER MORATORIUM

SALIX COUNCIL VOTES DOWN DATA CENTER MORATORIUM

THE CITY COUNCIL OF SALIX, IOWA HAS VOTED DOWN A ONE-YEAR MORATORIUM ON DATA CENTERS.

SALIX PREVIOUSLY ANNEXED 900 ACRES OF FARMLAND FOR A POTENTIAL PROJECT INVOLVING MIDAMERICAN ENERGY AND GOOGLE.

EVEN THOUGH SEVERAL PEOPLE AT THURSDAY NIGHT’S MEETING VOICED SUPPORT FOR A MORATORIUM, THE MEASURE FAILED ON A 3-2 VOTE.

COUNCIL MEMBER DENISE BURKHART SUPPORTED THE MORATORIUM LAST MONTH, BUT CHANGED HER VOTE AFTER GOOGLE WAS IDENTIFIED AS THE POTENTIAL CUSTOMER.

SALIXDATA1 OC……..ASK THE QUESTIONS. :16

COUNCIL MEMBER GENE MONK BELIEVED THE MORATORIUM WAS ALREADY APPROVED LAST MONTH AND THAT THE COUNCIL WAS ONLY SUPPOSED TO VOTE ON ITS LANGUAGE:

SALIXDATA2 OC………FIVE PEOPLE. :15.

TENSIONS FLARED AFTER THE 3-2 VOTE AGAINST THE MORATORIUM AND MAYOR KEVIN NELSON CALLED FOR ORDER:

SALIXDATA3 OC……..THE MEETING. ;04

NOBODY WAS ARRESTED.

THURSDAY’S MEETING HAD BEEN DELAYED A WEEK AFTER CITY OFFICIALS RECEIVED DEATH AND TERRORISTIC THREATS ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

SALIX IS FACING A LEGAL CHALLENGE FROM WOODBURY COUNTY OVER THE CITY’S ANNEXATION OF THE NEARLY 900 ACRES.

THE LAND WOULD STILL NEED TO BE REZONED BEFORE A DATA CENTER COULD MOVE FORWARD.

SHEILA BRUMMER IPR