Tensions flared after the Salix City Council voted 3-2 against a one-year moratorium on data centers Thursday night.
“Officers, officers, they’re disrupting the meeting,” Salix Mayor Kevin Nelson interjected as council member Gene Monk and others expressed frustration over the decision.
No one was arrested, but the heated exchange capped months of debate over roughly 900 acres of farmland the northwest Iowa community annexed in April for a potential data center. MidAmerican Energy initiated the project, and Google was identified in early August as the prospective customer.
The decision came more than a week later than planned. City officials postponed an Aug. 12 meeting after receiving death and terroristic threats on social media.
Council debates 1-year pause
Just before Thursday’s vote, Monk said he believed the council had already approved the moratorium at a meeting last month and only needed to finalize its terms.
The proposal called for a one-year pause while the city considered regulations. It also allowed the council to shorten or extend the moratorium if needed.
“We ask for a cool-down period for a year to research, then we can make an educated decision. We can let the people vote for it after that — do something different,” Monk said. “It's too big of a decision for us five people [on the council].”
Council member Denise Burkhart supported moving the proposal forward in July but opposed it Thursday. Burkhart said the city needs more information from Google before deciding whether the project is the right fit.
“We need to open conversations with Google to see what they want to bring here, what they're capable of doing for our community,” Burkhart said. “It may not be right for us, but we're not going to know until we ask the questions.”
Residents call for more time
Most of those who addressed the council meeting supported a temporary ban, saying the community needs more time to study potential impacts and develop regulations. Some residents have said they felt blindsided by the plans and worry the city is moving too quickly.
Mary Herbst, a member of the Salix Guardian Alliance, which opposes the data center development, urged city leaders to pass the moratorium.
“I believe if this council represents Salix citizens and the entire community, they should give city and rural citizens a seat at the table,” Herbst said. “There is a lot of work to be done and a lot of questions that need to be answered. Let us all work together for the betterment of Salix.”
Winnebago Tribe raises concerns
Opposition to the potential development also extends beyond Salix. The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, which owns land a few miles away, recently passed a resolution opposing the development of hyperscale data centers on or near the Winnebago Reservation.
Tribal council member Keely Bassette Purscell told the council that decisions made in Salix could have consequences beyond its city limits. She invited people at the meeting to an upcoming teach-in organized by the tribe and the Brave Heart Society on hyperscale AI data centers.
“Whatever you guys do will affect us. And I'll tell you right now, we're going to fight like hell to make sure that this doesn't happen, not just for our people, but for yours too. We have to work together,” Bassette Purscell said.
Supporters point to economic benefits
Not everyone favored putting the potential project on hold. Dolf Ivener, a Sioux City business owner and farmer, said a data center could provide jobs and significantly expand the local tax base.
“You don't get that many shots at something like this,” Ivener said. “There’s a big opportunity and it falls on you guys to realize it’s once in a lifetime, and you have to take advantage of it when it comes.”
Google representative Trent Fellers acknowledged the divisions within the community and emphasized that the company is still in the early planning stages. Details involving water and energy use have not been finalized. He urged the council to allow the process to continue so plans can be developed and discussed publicly.
“So my ask tonight is simple: Allow us to continue the conversation,” Fellers said. “Let us learn the needs of this community. Let’s have community conversations and give us the opportunity to earn your trust.”
What comes next
Even without a moratorium, several steps remain before a data center could be built.
The land would first need to be rezoned for data center development. Woodbury County is also challenging Salix’s annexation in court, arguing the city failed to properly notify residents and included some property that does not border city limits.
The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors passed its own moratorium on data center development in unincorporated areas in June amid concerns about the Salix project.
