FAIRFAX, Iowa (KCRG) – The Fairfax City Council voted 3-1 Tuesday to advance an ordinance that would permanently prohibit high-impact data centers within the city, with no end date attached to the ban.
The proposed ordinance states that “the city shall not accept, process or consider any application that seeks approval of a High-Impact Data Center.”
How the ordinance defines ‘high-impact’
The ordinance defines a high-impact data center as one that has one or more of the following features, among others:
Ten megawatts or greater of electrical demandUses cooling systemsHas a backup generatorOne dissenting vote
Mike Daly, who voted against the ordinance, said the move was premature, and questioned why there is not expiration date.
“I don’t see this council in any capacity approving a data center currently, I don’t think we need to rush on Dan’s proposal,” Daly said. “I want to wait to see what planning and zoning brought to us before moving forward.”
What comes next
While the ordinance bans future large data center projects, it also states that future ordinances could allow them at the council’s discretion — provided any such project takes into consideration its economic and environmental impacts.
City leaders said the ordinance is intended to get ahead of any major data center project before one seeks approval. Fairfax is only the second municipality in Iowa to pursue an outright ban on future data centers, joining Ida County.
The city attorney will review the proposal before it goes to the mayor for signature.
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