The Jefferson County Board of Supervisors has spent the past two months working to establish a study committee on data center development, following a 12-month moratorium on data center construction passed earlier this fall.
September: Committee Takes Shape
At their September 14th meeting, the supervisors began fleshing out the committee’s composition, with Taylor Ross — one of the primary advocates for the moratorium — appearing before the board and being appointed as its first member.
The supervisors debated whether committee members should be required to live in the unincorporated areas of the county, since those residents would be most directly affected by data centers built in rural areas. Supervisor Joe Ledger favored prioritizing unincorporated residents, though Ross and Supervisor Susie Drish noted that city residents living near county lines could also be affected.
“People in the city are also affected by things in the county,” Ross said.
The board agreed the committee should have an odd number of members — either three or five — to avoid tied votes when making recommendations. Ross said she preferred three members, arguing that a smaller group would move more efficiently within the 12-month moratorium window. Supervisor Lee Dimmitt said the county attorney’s office should have representation on the committee to ensure any recommended policy changes are legally sound.
The board agreed Ross would seek additional members and help notify the public that the committee was being formed. Supervisors also discussed having a supervisor serve on the committee in a non-voting capacity to maintain continuity.
October: Residents Weigh In, Legal Seat Filled
By the October 19th meeting, Ross remained the committee’s only official member. Three county residents appeared before the board to offer suggestions on the ordinance and ask for an update on the committee’s progress. They submitted written recommendations for changes to the ordinance and asked how to proceed with providing input. The board directed them to submit comments through Supervisor Lee Dimmitt and Ross, who has been designated as the liaison between the committee and the public.
The board announced that Michael Campbell, an assistant attorney in the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office, would be joining the committee to provide legal expertise — fulfilling the role Dimmitt had called for in September.
Ledger also stressed the importance of including someone who supports data centers on the committee, to ensure both perspectives are represented.
“To be fair on this committee, we shouldn’t load it with everybody that is negative. We should find somebody that is positive too, so they can throw in their input so it can all be weighed out,” he said.
Dimmitt also raised broader concerns about threats to local control, pointing to a lawsuit in Cerro Gordo County where a solar energy company challenged the county’s zoning authority by going to the Iowa Utilities Board. He warned a similar situation could arise with data centers if the Iowa Utilities Board were to classify them as a public utility.
“We have to be very careful in how we do this,” Dimmitt said. “One of the reasons we had to develop an ordinance first before we implemented a moratorium was to stay within the confines of the law.”
The supervisors said they are still working to fill the remaining committee seats, and encouraged anyone in the unincorporated areas of the county interested in serving to contact Supervisor Dimmitt or Ross.
