Cave City council advances data center moratorium
The Cave City Council in Kentucky has advanced a proposed moratorium on zoning amendments for data centers, voting 4-1 in its first reading. Council member Leticia Cline and many residents oppose data center development, citing concerns about community alignment, job impact, and unquantified resource usage like water and electricity. The moratorium aims to provide the city time to establish regulations and consider citizen input before any data center, such as one proposed by Discovery, can proceed.
The Cave City Council in Kentucky held its first of two meetings to vote on a proposed moratorium on zoning amendments for data centers, with the measure passing 4-1. Council member Leticia Cline is spearheading the initiative, arguing that data centers do not align with the community's long-term vision and comprehensive plan, a sentiment she believes is shared by the majority of citizens.
The proposed moratorium aims to temporarily halt the construction or expansion of data centers in the city, providing the council time to establish clear regulations. This comes as a data center company, Discovery, has expressed interest in locating within Cave City. Cline also noted that the moratorium period would encompass an upcoming election, potentially leading to a new city council and mayor, and would allow for the formation of a committee with resident involvement to study the issue further.
Council member Denny Doyle was the sole dissenter, voting against the moratorium both at its introduction and during Monday night's meeting. Doyle expressed a belief that data centers are "two-thirds good and one-third bad" and indicated support for a data center in Cave City based on his current understanding.
Conversely, Cline and numerous residents present at the meeting voiced strong opposition, highlighting concerns about job displacement rather than creation, the lack of guaranteed financial benefits for the city, and unknown impacts on water and power resources. Resident Trace Booking pointed out that data center communities often incur high utility costs, which he argued would be an unbearable burden for Cave City's population, where a significant portion lives in poverty. The Cave City Council is scheduled to hold another meeting to continue discussions on the moratorium.