Festus council member steps down amid data center backlash

Festus City Council member Staci Templeton resigned Saturday after five years in office, becoming the latest official to leave amid a backlash against a proposed hyperscale data center project. Templeton's resignation follows a recent election where Festus residents voted out all four incumbent council members who were running for reelection, replacing them with candidates opposed to the data center. While Templeton had participated in previous unanimous council decisions regarding the project, she had voted against a specific agreement outlining requirements for the developer, CRG. Mayor Sam Richards stated Templeton resigned for personal reasons, asking her to remain until the Monday council meeting where new members were sworn in. In related developments, the opposition group Wake Up Jeffco, along with four Festus residents, has filed a lawsuit against the city and CRG. The suit alleges that city officials withheld public information about the development and seeks to invalidate the city's requirements for CRG and reverse previous rezoning decisions related to the project site.