As residents of Central City, we are asking our city government to slow down, provide complete information, and give the public a meaningful opportunity to understand the proposed data center before construction proceeds.

This is not simply a question of whether residents support or oppose data centers.

It is a question of whether Central City residents have been given enough information to make an informed decision about a major industrial development that could affect our water system, electrical infrastructure, roads, land use, emergency services, taxes, utility rates, and the long-term character of our community.

The public deserves to know exactly what is being proposed.

What is actually being built?

Residents should have access to the complete development plans, including:

- The size and footprint of the facility;

- The anticipated phases of construction;

- The intended use and capacity of the facility;

- The companies involved in ownership, development, operation and financing;

- The anticipated electrical load;

- The cooling technology being used;

- The projected water demand;

- The source of that water;

- The projected wastewater discharge;

- Stormwater and drainage plans;

- Noise and air-quality considerations;

- Traffic and road impacts;

- Emergency-response requirements;

- Construction timelines;

- Underground infrastructure and excavation plans; and

- Any planned future expansion.

 

The water infrastructure deserves particular scrutiny.

Residents have heard that a substantially sized water main, reportedly approximately 20 inches in diameter, is being installed or contemplated in connection with the development.

A large water main does not, by itself, establish that the data center will consume an extraordinary amount of water. Main size reflects system capacity and may account for factors such as peak demand, fire protection, future development, and redundancy.

But that makes transparency even more important.

If the project's actual water consumption is relatively modest, the City should be able to demonstrate that with project-specific engineering information.

Residents should not have to rely on rumors or competing estimates.

 

The City should publicly disclose:

1. The existing water-main size and capacity;

2. The proposed new-main size and capacity;

3. The engineering reason for the proposed size;

4. The expected average daily water demand;

5. The expected maximum daily demand;

6. The expected peak instantaneous demand;

7. The amount of water expected to be used for cooling;

8. The amount expected for ordinary domestic use;

9. Fire-flow requirements;

10. The source of the water;

11. Whether potable water will be used for cooling;

12. Whether reclaimed or nonpotable water was considered;

13. The anticipated wastewater volume and discharge destination;

14. Who will pay for the water-system improvements; and

15. Who will ultimately own and maintain those improvements.

 

The same principle should apply to the project's electrical infrastructure, roads, sewer system, stormwater infrastructure and emergency services.

Infrastructure investment should come with public accountability

If Central City must construct, enlarge or upgrade public infrastructure to accommodate a private development, residents deserve to know the complete financial arrangement.

 

That includes any:

- Utility extensions;

- Road improvements;

- Tax incentives;

- Property-tax abatements;

- Tax-increment financing;

- Fee waivers;

- Publicly funded improvements;

- Developer reimbursements;

- Utility agreements; or

- Long-term maintenance obligations.

 

The question is not simply how many jobs or how much tax revenue a project might generate.

The question is what Central City is being asked to provide in exchange for those benefits, and whether the long-term balance is favorable to existing residents and ratepayers.

Central City should not have to choose between economic development and responsible planning

Data centers are an important part of the modern economy. That does not mean every proposed data center is automatically appropriate for every location.

Other Iowa communities are already recognizing the need to examine water availability, infrastructure capacity, environmental impacts, emergency response, transportation and long-term land-use planning before allowing large-scale data-center development.

 

Central City should do the same.

We are asking the City Council to pause further action until residents have access to the relevant plans, studies, agreements and engineering information and have been given a meaningful opportunity to review and respond to them.

A temporary pause should not simply mean that the project can quietly resume later.

It should be used to answer the questions that residents are asking now.

We are not asking the City Council to reject economic development. We are asking it to demonstrate that this particular development is appropriate, sustainable, financially responsible and in the long-term interest of Central City residents.

Transparency should come before construction.

Public infrastructure should come with public accountability.

And residents should have enough information to understand what their community is being asked to accept before the decisions become irreversible.

 

Photo credit