New legal move made to stop data centers; Google sets up data center website
Residents and Woodbury County in Salix, Iowa, are engaged in a legal battle with the City of Salix over its annexation of land intended for a future data center. Both groups have filed petitions challenging the annexation, alleging violations of Iowa law. Meanwhile, Google has launched a website to update the community on its interest in developing a data center in the Salix area.
Residents and Woodbury County in Salix, Iowa, are embroiled in a legal dispute with the City of Salix concerning the annexation of hundreds of acres of land, which could potentially become the site for a future data center. Several residents are actively fighting the city's move to incorporate this land into city limits, alleging that the City of Salix violated Iowa annexation law.
On August 6th, three Salix residents—George Nelson, and James and Janet Yanak—filed a petition arguing the annexation should be declared defective and void because the city bypassed state law by not providing advance notice for the development. In response, the Salix City Attorney filed a motion to dismiss this petition, claiming the landowners missed a 30-day filing deadline. However, the landowners' attorney contends that Iowa law allows for an extension, and the property owners have since filed a formal resistance to the city's dismissal attempt. The District Court is now poised to decide if this petition will proceed.
Separately, Woodbury County also filed a petition for judicial review of the annexation. The City of Salix officially responded to the county's petition, refuting its allegations and offering six affirmative defenses, including a lack of standing, and asked the judge to dismiss the county's petition.
Amidst these legal proceedings, Google announced the launch of a new website designed to inform the community about data center updates and the company's progress toward a potential data center in the Salix area. A Google spokesperson stated that the tech company plans to schedule in-person community touch points in the coming months and will continue to update the website with project information.