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MSG seeks change order to study data‑center impacts under moratorium; council outlines topics to include
Summary
Mannik/Smith Group told the council it can prepare a change order to research data‑center impacts during the 18‑month moratorium, proposing a memo covering power, water, air, noise, e‑waste, emerging technologies and wildlife impacts; council asked for inclusion of water‑table and river impacts and set June 3 as a deadline for a formal request.
Mannix/Smith Group (MSG), the village's planning consultant, presented the planned comprehensive master‑plan process and outlined a proposed change order to support the council's moratorium study on data centers.
MSG's representative explained the public engagement timeline, steering committee selection and deliverables for the master plan. On the moratorium tasking, the consultant listed specific research areas they would address in a change‑order memo: power generation sources, water quality and reuse (including gray water), air quality and pollution, noise, e‑waste and waste management, light and heat impacts, emerging technologies relevant to server farms, and potential wildlife impacts. "We are contracted to do work for you currently... If this is a study... the way that we would do that is through a change order," the MSG speaker said.
Council members added topic requests, notably the river and water table impacts and more detail on nuisance criteria; one member requested the village attorney be consulted on nuisance definitions. MSG said it would accept an official change‑order request that captures these topics by June 3 so it can revise the proposal and begin work.
MSG also emphasized process distinctions: steering‑committee membership should be limited to village boundaries when selecting citizens who will shape the plan, while open houses and stakeholder interviews should remain broadly available. The consultant described a mix of online surveys, stakeholder interviews and large open‑house events and asked council members to complete planning 'homework' by June 3 to set priorities.
The council did not approve a change order at the meeting; instead members asked MSG to produce a formal proposal and requested that the solicitor review legal questions about nuisance standards before any policy drafting.
