Residents of Salix, Iowa just found out their town quietly annexed 900 acres of farmland — nearly eightfold the town's existing land — without notifying a single neighbor. Now, a major energy company is eyeing that land for a data center that could bring round-the-clock noise, vibration, and industrial activity to a close-knit farming community of fewer than 300 people.

More than 150 residents showed up to a public meeting to oppose the project. The next day, they brought their concerns to the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors. Supervisors admitted they were caught off guard too. Board Chair Mark Nelson said, "The county was blindsided as well. We're trying to create a process where people can help us dictate what happens to the rest of the county going forward."

This is happening because data centers are expanding fast across Iowa, fueled by federal tax incentives tied to demand for artificial intelligence. Communities don't have strong regulations in place yet — and developers are moving before they can catch up.

The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors is set to vote on a one-year moratorium on new data center projects in unincorporated areas on June 23. That pause would give the county time to develop real rules: rules that protect farmland, guarantee public notice, limit noise and water use, and ensure residents have a say before any project breaks ground.

Neighboring Plymouth County has already passed a moratorium. Linn County already requires water use studies, mandatory setbacks, and noise limits. Woodbury County needs to act now — before another project moves forward under the same lack of transparency that blindsided Salix.

We're calling on the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors to vote yes on the moratorium on June 23 and to develop strong, enforceable regulations for data center development with meaningful input from the residents who will live with the consequences.

No community should wake up to find its land has been annexed and its future decided without them.