Gallatin committee sends proposed data‑center moratorium to planning commission after debate

The City of Gallatin council committee voted July 14 to send a proposed moratorium on data centers to the planning commission and full council for further work.

During more than 30 minutes of discussion, one council member who researched other cities urged using a resolution to ask planning to draft a zoning amendment that would define “data center,” set study parameters and propose a timeframe similar to the apartment moratorium the city used previously. The member said planning commission review would allow staff and the commission to recommend whether a moratorium is warranted and what definitions and limits it should contain.

Other council members expressed concern about moving too fast without evidence. One council member noted Gallatin currently has no confirmed pending data‑center projects and repeated that the city’s electric provider has limited capacity in the near term. Several speakers said a moratorium requires an articulable justification and likely a study to avoid legal challenge.

Residents who spoke during the public comment period supported caution. A resident asked the council to study financial impacts, water and electric use, and public‑health effects before permitting large data centers to locate near neighborhoods.

The committee discussed possible stopgap measures and whether the council should draft a local definition of “data center” to guide planning. After debate, the committee unanimously approved a motion to forward the moratorium proposal to the council and planning commission for formal review and recommendation.

Next steps: staff will prepare language for planning commission consideration and return recommendations to the council; the committee did not adopt a moratorium ordinance at the meeting.