St. Francois County Commissioners Discuss Data Center Moratorium
St. Francois County Commissioners are exploring a potential moratorium or other regulations on data center construction, prompted by local opposition and a State Representative. Separately, Desloge city officials are also considering a data center moratorium after receiving a petition with 1,000 signatures, which will first go through its Planning and Zoning Commission.
St. Francois County Commissioners in Farmington, Missouri, are currently examining the feasibility of enacting a moratorium or other regulations to control the construction of data centers within the county. This discussion arose during a recent Commission meeting, where Jamie Wruck, an organizer of the "No Data Center S.F.C." group and a Desloge resident, advocated for an immediate moratorium and asked for a proposal to be ready for residents within a month.
Commissioners Kary Buckley and David Kater acknowledged receiving correspondence, including from State Representative Becky Laubinger, regarding the potential wording of such a moratorium. They also stated that no decision would be made without first verifying the legality of any proposed action. The idea of using planning and zoning to halt data center development was discussed, but St. Francois County currently lacks county-wide planning and zoning, which would require voter approval to be established.
In a related development, Desloge Mayor Pete Pasternak confirmed that his office received a petition with 1,000 signatures urging the city to implement a data center moratorium. Pasternak indicated that this issue would need review by the city's Planning and Zoning Commission, followed by a public hearing, before it could advance to the Board of Aldermen for a vote. Driven by public support, Mayor Pasternak has requested the Planning and Zoning board to prioritize the examination of this matter.