Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Manitowoc County enacts 18‑month moratorium on data‑center permits after public outcry
Summary
The Manitowoc County Board of Supervisors voted 23–0 to adopt an ordinance placing an 18‑month moratorium on applications and permits for large data centers while staff studies environmental, infrastructure and zoning standards. The vote followed hours of public comment divided between environmental and farmland concerns and arguments about potential economic benefits.
Manitowoc County supervisors voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance placing an 18‑month moratorium on receiving and approving permit applications for large data centers while county staff researches environmental, economic, health and safety impacts and drafts zoning guidance.
Supervisor Zimmer, reading the Planning and Parks Commission recommendation, said the moratorium would give the county time to ‘‘fully explore, analyze, and research’’ the impacts of data centers and to develop consistent zoning and regulatory standards (Supervisor Zimmer). The ordinance text cited Wisconsin Stat. §59.69 as authority for a county moratorium and referenced guidance about development moratoria in state law as presented during the hearing.
The meeting included a sustained public‑comment period with…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
