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Public asks board to study data-center rules; supervisors ask staff to research options
Summary
During public input a resident urged a moratorium on data centers; supervisors noted the county lacks countywide zoning and asked land-use staff to research whether unzoned counties have standalone ordinances they could adapt.
A member of the public urged the Des Moines County Board of Supervisors to consider a moratorium on data-center construction until the county knows more about potential impacts. The speaker noted a lack of countywide zoning and suggested the board investigate whether other unzoned counties have adopted standalone ordinances that would allow a moratorium.
Supervisors discussed the practical and legal limits of regulating data centers without countywide zoning. Land-use staff (Jared Lassiter) reported an initial online search — including using AI search functions — yielded mixed results and sometimes misleading links that turned out to be zoning amendments rather than standalone ordinances. Supervisors asked Jared to continue the research and report back with examples the county could adapt.
No ordinance, moratorium or regulatory change was adopted at the March 17 meeting. The discussion was exploratory and directed staff follow-up. Supervisors made several cautionary remarks about relying on AI search results and asked staff to verify primary sources by following links to the actual ordinance text rather than relying on summary results.
