Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Data Center topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents push for public hearing after administration flags interest from data-center developer
Summary
Prichard residents and council leaders discussed a proposed data center the administration flagged to the council. Council President Tracy Hale said the council did not solicit the project; a hearing was proposed after a councilor's site tour and a resident said she will livestream the meeting.
Council President Tracy Hale said city administration — not the council — was approached by a company interested in building a data center in Prichard, and residents urged a formal public hearing to put community views on the record.
"I just wanna put that out there on behalf of myself as a president of the council," said Tracy Hale, identifying herself as council president. "I hear you. For the data center... they were interested in coming to our city."
A resident who spoke at the meeting said she and another council member plan to attend a visit by the developer and that she will "be going live" on Monday to share information with constituents and allow them to ask questions online. She said an itinerary from the prospective developer had not yet been sent and that she planned to post materials "on the city's website" so residents can view and ask questions during the event.
At the meeting a speaker proposed that, after Councilor Roy completes a site tour, the council call a formal hearing so "we will need it on record officially what the citizens want," and then take a vote based on that record. That proposal drew agreement from other participants in the room; the transcript does not record a formal motion or vote being made.
"What the people have reached out to me and another council member, we will be up there on this Monday," one resident said. "That way, the people will have the correct information without being interrupted by any outsiders."
Sergeant Windsor of the Prichard Police Department urged caution and noted that coverage of the matter was drawing broader attention. "This is going all the way up to Montgomery," he said while identifying himself and asking that his comments be taken as a caveat to the discussion.
The meeting transcript shows concern from residents about construction activity in neighborhoods and uncertainty about the property's status; speakers asked for a public forum so constituents can make their views known before any council action. The transcript does not record any binding council action, vote, or ordinance related to the proposal.
Next steps discussed were a councilor's site tour and the scheduling of a recorded public hearing so the council can formally consider constituent input prior to voting.
