SALIX, Iowa (KTIV) – The Salix City Attorney has released an update on a lawsuit aimed at blocking the city of Salix’s move to annex 900 acres that could be the site of a potential data center.
Eric Updegraff, Salix City Attorney tells KTIV that late Thursday afternoon he filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit blocking the annexation.
The lawsuit was filed by three residents of Salix alleging the city violated Iowa annexation law and asked the court to declare the annexation defective and void.
The plaintiffs – George Nelson, James Yanak and Janet Yanek claim Salix violated the law in four key ways:
Four of the five annexation applications involved land not actually adjoining the city’s borders.The city failed to hold a required consultation with Woodbury County before the hearing.The city failed to give 14-day written notice to adjacent landowners (including the petitioners).The city failed to file a proper map showing the full city boundary and all territory to be annexed.
On Thursday, Aug. 20, council members discussed whether a moratorium was in place for the proposed data center. The moratorium was voted down. This allows Google to continue a potential project in Salix.
The vote came from a city council meeting that was delayed for more than a week due to death threats on social media.
KTIV has reached out to Google. The company provided the following statement.
“Google appreciates the City Council’s decision to allow the public dialogue to move forward. Google remains committed to engaging directly and transparently with the residents of Salix to listen, answer questions, and build this proposal together. We look forward to showing how this potential project can support local schools, strengthen the economy, and be a positive part of the Salix community.”
Want to get the latest news and weather from Siouxland’s News Source? Follow these links to download our KTIV News app and our First Alert Weather app.
Copyright 2026 KTIV. All rights reserved.