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Residents say mailed notices were incomplete for proposed data-center annexation, urge city review
Summary
At the Jan. 6 Warrenton Board of Aldermen meeting, residents alleged the city failed to notify all adjoining landowners and disputed the acreage listed for a proposed data-center annexation; city legal staff said mailed notice is not statutorily required and the board said it would review records and cross-check notices before further action.
At the Jan. 6 Board of Aldermen meeting in Warrenton, several residents told the board they had not received mailed notice about a large annexation tied to a proposed data center and asked the city to confirm which parcels were included.
"I'm Jess Sutton and I'm talking about the data center," said one resident, who provided a timeline she said showed public materials dating to Dec. 19, 2022 and later filings in 2023. She said a newspaper map and city documents listed a front parcel of 178 acres while the annexation and related filings referenced a larger 337-acre total, and that notice lists the city provided matched only the 178-acre front parcel. "This information was here and the public was lied to," she told the board.
Other residents echoed those concerns. Cheryl Roberts Long Hibbler said she and her son first raised objections on Oct. 1, 2024 and that neighbors near the proposed site had not been notified before rezoning and conditional-use actions; Raymond Bergeron said he also did not receive mailed notice and warned of potential environmental impacts and flooding if industrial development proceeded near homes.
City legal staff responded that the municipal code includes a mailed-notice provision but that, under the code, mailing is not a statutory prerequisite for an annexation hearing. "To the extent they were mailed, they were complimentary, and to the extent anyone was missed, it will have 0 effect on the legality of the annexation," a city attorney told the board.
Mayor and staff said they would check records and cross-reference the notice list against parcel boundaries and coordinate with Missouri Department of Transportation if necessary. The mayor also reminded the public of a planning and zoning meeting on Thursday where residents could comment.
The residents urged the board to verify whether mailed notices covered the full parcel described in annexation documents, to clarify the acreage in official records, and to confirm whether adjoining owners of the back parcel received notice. City staff said legal would address the matter and promised to report back.
Next steps: the planning and zoning meeting scheduled for Thursday was identified as an opportunity for public comment; the board directed staff and legal to review notice lists, parcel records and any MoDOT coordination and to return with findings.
