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Residents press Byron council over proposed data center; mayor says lawsuit limits council discussion
Summary
Dozens of residents voiced health and environmental concerns about a proposed data center during a 45‑minute public‑comment period; Mayor Michael Chidester said a lawsuit prevents the council from discussing the project and that no application has been filed.
Dozens of residents urged the City of Byron Mayor and Council on June 8 to halt any rezoning or approval process for a prospective data center, citing noise, wastewater and ecological risks. Tonya Miller, who said she had gathered petitions and spoken with about 1,000 people, told the council she and others opposed rezoning agricultural land for the facility and asked whether the city would hold a referendum on the matter.
Mayor Michael Chidester responded that a lawsuit currently prevents him and council from discussing the data center and said the property owner has not filed an application. The mayor also stated he supports the project and said there would be "no significant impact to the water supply" and that wastewater would be sent to a treatment system. He said the city could see increased tax revenue and franchise-fee income that might reduce local taxes.
City Administrator Tiffany Sandefur told the audience that a Phase I environmental study has been completed and is in the developers' possession; she said that if the city receives it she will make it available to the public. Several residents asked the council to commission an independent third‑party environmental review because of ecological sensitivity near Juniper Creek.
Speakers described concerns about generator noise and "damaging high/low frequency noise," potential wastewater impacts, and comparisons to other area projects that neighboring homeowners said left them negatively affected. At one point Council Member Rusty Adams told the room that "the Boy Scouts are not coming back," a remark that punctuated the tense exchange.
The mayor said the city will advertise a series of meetings to discuss the matter once the council is able to do so, and Mayor Chidester thanked attendees for raising their concerns before returning the meeting to the rest of the agenda.
The council did not take formal action on the data‑center topic at the June 8 meeting; the mayor said legal constraints tied to ongoing litigation limit what the council can discuss publicly at this time.
