New Wilmer council member aims to take on rapid data center growth

Moses Garcia, a lifelong Wilmer resident, successfully campaigned for a seat on the Wilmer City Council, winning by two votes, on a platform to regulate the rapid growth of data centers in the small town south of Dallas. Garcia noted the lack of proportional infrastructure growth despite the influx of industrial development, including a multi-building data center campus by QTS (Quality Technology Services) southwest of town. QTS, which has invested in the community, acknowledged Wilmer's strategic location for its digital and industrial economy. However, Garcia and some residents express concerns about data center growth threatening energy and water supplies, citing issues seen in other Texas towns. Garcia's campaign focused on the need for stricter policies, such as special use permits, to limit and restrict data center operations, despite state leaders' ambitions to make Texas a data center hub. George Leverett Jr., Garcia's opponent and a member of the city's Planning and Zoning commission, disagreed with the notion that Wilmer's data centers are "bad actors," asserting that the city has restrictive systems in place. Wilmer city officials affirmed that all proposed developments are reviewed through established zoning, permitting, and public meeting processes. Garcia, who will be sworn in on May 12, intends to advocate for these stricter regulations, aiming to deter data center developers from choosing Wilmer if the restrictions become too stringent.