Kings Mountain schedules water forum as council weighs moratorium on data centers

The City of Kings Mountain announced a public forum on water issues and spent significant time discussing a proposed moratorium on data-center projects during its March 10, 2026 regular meeting. The forum is scheduled for 6–7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17 at the Patrick Senior Center; the session will be recorded and posted on the city’s website, and staff will take questions via sign-up sheets and notecards.

City Manager Todd Carpenter said the city has a public landing page for current water updates and that both he and Water Resources Director William Nash will be available at the forum to address community questions and concerns. Carpenter described the forum as an opportunity to provide information and gather community input ahead of potential decisions affecting the water system.

Council discussion also returned to a proposed moratorium related to data centers. Councilmember Scott Neisler stated there was no conflict of interest regarding his earlier vote against the moratorium and warned that imposing a moratorium now could affect the financing of other projects. Councilmember Tyler Fletcher said he favored delaying the moratorium for 30 days and said his votes reflect his judgment. Councilmember Shearra Miller asked staff to clarify the difference between AI data centers and traditional data centers.

Carpenter explained that AI data centers differ from traditional facilities primarily in the contents and functions they host; while footprint sizes may be similar, capacity demands, electrical loads, and environmental risks can differ. He also said recent proposals have included co-located power plants to meet high power needs where the grid cannot currently supply sufficient energy. Carpenter emphasized the moratorium’s purpose: to give council and staff time to research, gather data, and evaluate whether regulatory or zoning adjustments are necessary before approving new plans.

The meeting’s public comments earlier in the evening included three residents who addressed council; the transcript did not include verbatim quotes, so the report paraphrases the speakers’ remarks on items raised during Citizen Recognition.

Next steps: the city will hold the March 17 public forum, post a recording and updates online, and Council will continue to receive staff briefings and research related to the moratorium and data-center proposals.