City creates committee after move to ban data centers
Hubbard City Council is forming a committee to study data centers after residents gathered signatures for a ballot measure to ban them. This comes amidst community concerns and scrutiny over early conversations between city officials and a data center company. Residents are actively opposing any data center development in the area.
The Hubbard City Council is establishing a data center committee to investigate the potential community impact of such facilities. This action follows a significant push by local residents who have collected over 750 signatures to place legislation on the November ballot that would permanently ban data centers in the area.
Council President Mike Mong initiated the creation of the data center committee, with four council members agreeing to join, to learn more about how a data center would affect the community. Residents expressed ongoing concerns, including questions about a past tour of a New Albany data center, which they criticized as a "glorified sales pitch" by the Lake to River organization.
Community members from Hubbard and surrounding areas spoke at the council meeting, sharing research and expressing strong opposition to bringing a data center to their community. Additionally, documents obtained through a FOIA request revealed conversations between the mayor, city administration, and a data center company dating back to 2024, sparking further questions and a promise of a follow-up report from 21 News.