Sparks fly at City Council meeting as residents again speak out against data centers
Jackson residents again criticized the city’s plans for hyperscale data centers during a tense City Council meeting. City officials said a draft ordinance regulating data centers is still under legal review, while an approved 183-day moratorium remains in effect through Jan. 13.
Jackson residents raised health, environmental, water, energy and infrastructure concerns as the City Council considered how to regulate potential hyperscale data center development. The meeting became heated when resident Candace Abdul-Tawwab challenged council members’ motives and was removed from the podium after Council President Vernon Hartley called for security.
Interim Chief Administrative Officer Drew Martin said attorneys are preparing a draft data center ordinance that will soon circulate among council members. The update follows the council’s approval of a 183-day moratorium, which was intended to give the city time to develop regulations. The moratorium exempts property near Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport, where the city has previously considered a potential site at Lake Hico.