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Long-running data‑center ordinance debate turns heated; Commissioner Dave Berger submits resignation
Summary
A months‑long, contentious debate over a draft data‑center ordinance escalated at an Oliver County commissioners meeting, with residents charging a lack of transparency and the county's state's attorney preparing a draft; Commissioner Dave Berger announced his immediate resignation, citing personal attacks and threats to his health.
At a packed Oliver County Board of Commissioners meeting, a months‑long effort to draft a county ordinance covering data centers devolved into a heated public confrontation and the unexpected resignation of County Commissioner Dave Berger.
Berger read a prepared statement to the board resigning “effective immediately,” saying he had been subjected to “personal attacks, profanity, and baseless accusations” tied to a potential project and that the cost of continuing in office “far outweighs the work” he can do. “It is with a heavy heart that I leave this term unfinished,” Berger said, signing his statement “Dave Berger.”
The immediate catalyst was disagreement over who should draft a proposed data‑center ordinance. Commissioners had directed the county’s state's attorney to prepare a working draft; planning‑and‑zoning members and many residents expected the planning commission to produce the first draft and gather public input. Residents said…
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