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Residents press council for transparency on proposed Microsoft data center; meetings planned
Summary
Residents told the council the process around a proposed Microsoft data center has lacked transparency, raising questions about groundwater, noise, and community notice. Council members and staff said additional briefings with company representatives are underway and encouraged residents to register for limited‑size technical sessions.
Multiple residents urged the St. Joseph County Council on Feb. 24 to demand greater transparency and enforceable protections from a proposed Microsoft data center project.
Katherine Majuski told the council: "The lack of transparency around this data center is astounding," and said many residents learned details only through grassroots meetings. She and other speakers raised concerns about groundwater, chemical runoff, noise and light impacts, and criticized meetings limited by company non‑disclosure agreements. Organizers of a recent community briefing said the session drew overflow attendance and that attendees received limited technical answers from company representatives under NDA constraints.
Council members said public hearings and zoning steps occurred in 2024 and that additional technical briefings with Microsoft are being scheduled in small formats so residents can ask detailed questions without meetings becoming unruly. Council members urged residents to register for those briefings; one councilor said Microsoft agreed to hold multiple sessions and that staff will help residents secure space in those meetings.
Separately, several speakers used the privilege of the floor to call for a moratorium on new large data centers until the implications of recent state legislative proposals and local tax‑incentive structures were clearer. Advocates of a moratorium linked the request to concerns about cumulative water and electrical demand, community impacts and taxation arrangements.
Council leaders said they would continue negotiations with the company, ask for clearer technical information on water use and sound mitigation, and work to ensure public questions are addressed in future briefings.
