Urbana Council sends proposed data center ban to November ballot
Urbana City Council has approved sending a proposed charter amendment to the November 2026 ballot, which would prohibit data center construction within city limits. This initiative stemmed from a citizen petition that garnered sufficient signatures. If approved, it would ban new data centers, with an exemption for small, private facilities under 7.5 megawatts.
Urbana, Ohio, voters will decide in November 2026 on a proposed city charter amendment to ban data center construction within city limits. The Urbana City Council approved emergency Ordinance No. 4640-26, sending the measure to the ballot to meet an August 5 filing deadline. The proposal originated from a citizen petition, spearheaded by Champaign County Conserve Ohio Chair Nicole Nawman, which collected over 400 signatures in a week, exceeding the 169 required.
The amendment, if passed, would add Section 8.07 to Article VIII of the Urbana City Charter, broadly defining a data center as a facility for data management, storage, processing, or dissemination, including AI and virtual currency mining operations. It includes an exemption for smaller, privately owned data centers serving a single organization, not engaged in commercial data business, and with a peak electrical demand under 7.5 megawatts.
Mayor Bill Bean addressed the controversy surrounding the proposed data center and an ongoing recall effort, denying claims he signed a non-disclosure agreement. He urged residents to move beyond misinformation and work together for the city's future, as several attendees left during his statement.