Residents press San Angelo council for Skybox data‑center studies; council holds closed session on Skybox contract
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Summary
Multiple residents asked the council for studies and public records about the Skybox data‑center project’s water, power and zoning impacts; later the council entered executive session to consult the attorney on the Skybox contract and returned with no announcement.
Several residents used the Feb. 3 public‑comment period to press the San Angelo City Council for more information and public records about the Skybox data‑center project, raising concerns about water use, electricity demand and whether zoning or conditions will limit high‑performance computing uses such as cryptocurrency mining or large AI operations.
Heather Wiley, a District 3 resident, told the council she was "speaking today about San Angelo's infrastructure capacity, specifically water and electricity regarding the Skybox data center," and asked what analyses exist and when the public will be able to review them. Mark Jackson (District 3) said the Jan. 13 rezoning decision has "significant long term implications" and asked the city to identify the studies and materials relied upon when the council acted and provide a timeline for disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act.
Douglas Long, also speaking during public comment, asked whether zoning conditions or other enforceable safeguards would prohibit or strictly regulate high‑performance computing uses such as cryptocurrency mining and large AI workloads, saying those uses can have "materially detrimental impacts on power, water, noise, and quality of life." The comments repeated a common request from residents: if records are not disputed they should be released promptly rather than held pending review.
Later in the meeting the council convened a closed executive session under Texas Government Code section 551.071 to consult the city attorney regarding "the Skybox Data Center's contract" and a potential conflict with the attorney's duties. The council returned from executive session at 10:33 a.m. and announced there were no public actions or announcements coming out of the session.
The public commenters and council members repeatedly framed the issue as one of transparency and infrastructure capacity; staff did not present new public studies during the Feb. 3 meeting and the record reflects requests that the city disclose what materials were relied upon for the Jan. 13 rezoning decision and clarify the scope of allowable uses on the site.