Van Wert City Petition On Data Center Zoning Falls Short Of Valid Signatures
A petition in Van Wert City, Ohio, aimed at repealing an ordinance that allows data centers in industrial zoned areas, has failed to secure the necessary number of valid signatures. The Van Wert City Council was informed that the petition only gathered 255 valid signatures, falling short of the required 323. Consequently, the ordinance permitting data center development in industrial zones remains in effect.
At a recent Van Wert City Council meeting, members were informed that an initiative petition concerning zoning for a proposed data center failed to obtain the required number of valid signatures. The petition, which aimed to give Van Wert residents the opportunity to repeal an ordinance passed by the City Council in May, would have reversed the decision to permit data centers in industrial zoned areas of the city.
Van Wert City Auditor Erika Blackmore presented the certification from the Van Wert County Board of Elections. Blackmore clarified that her role in the process was strictly administrative and procedural, involving the transmission of the petition to the Board of Elections for verification of signatures, without any determination of the proposed ordinance's merits or legality.
The certification statement, provided by Pam Henderson, Director of the Van Wert County Board of Elections, confirmed that 323 valid signatures were required for the petition to proceed. However, only 255 valid signatures were confirmed, falling short of the statutory requirements. As a result, the petition will not be placed on the ballot, and the existing ordinance allowing data centers in industrial zones of Van Wert City remains unchanged.