Dubuque County residents press to add more transparency on future data center development.
Residents of Dubuque County are advocating for greater transparency and accountability in future data center development. During a county work session, they presented a 30-page draft ordinance which the county board agreed to send to the zoning commission to aid in drafting new data center rules.
During a recent work session for Dubuque County, residents utilized the public comment period to demand increased transparency and accountability regarding future data center developments. Justin Goldberg highlighted the inadequacy of the county's current list of 14 considerations, advocating for additional specific bullet points addressing impact fees, development agreements, financial assurances, monitoring, enforcement, health concerns, and overall transparency.
Another resident, Mike Walter, urged the board to ensure that a comprehensive 30-page ordinance, prepared by the data center public accountability group, is formally provided to the zoning commission. This document, already available on the county website, was requested for inclusion in the upcoming zoning commission work session's agenda and packet.
County Supervisors acknowledged the citizen group's draft as "quite excellent" and "incredibly thorough," expressing gratitude for the detailed issues laid out for their consideration. The board concurred to forward the draft ordinance directly to the zoning commission, noting it would serve as a valuable resource as the commission embarks on crafting new data center regulations. The county's planning process for these new rules is anticipated to continue through September.