Mason City Council Votes to Repeal Data Center Ordinance, Leaving City's Future Regulation Unclear

The city of Mason, Michigan has repealed its recently adopted data center ordinance (Ordinance 266), leaving the future regulation of data centers in the city unclear. The ordinance, which had laid out guidelines for data center size, location, and noise, was suspended after a citizen petition circulated and gathered enough signatures. On Monday night, the Mason City Council was forced to decide whether to kill the ordinance altogether or let voters weigh in on it in November. The council voted 4-2 to repeal the ordinance, with some residents criticizing the council's lack of transparency and failure to adequately involve the community throughout the ordinance process. Council member Jerry Schaffer, one of the two dissenting votes, expressed frustration that the council couldn't work with citizens to improve the "weak" ordinance. Mayor Russell Whipple, who voted for the repeal, said it was about giving the city more flexibility going forward, not surrendering control. He acknowledged the situation has left the city "in chaos" and unclear how or how quickly they will address the regulatory gap left by the ordinance's repeal. Without the data center ordinance in place, the city will revert to the state's M2 regulations governing data center construction. The mayor said the council could re-enact the ordinance or pass a new one at their next meeting, but the next five months will be suspended due to the citizen petition.