Oneida County committee advances interim moratorium on data centers after public hearing

The Oneida County Planning & Development Committee voted unanimously on July 8 to approve Ordinance Amendment #02-2026, an interim moratorium on data center licensing, and to forward the amendment to the Oneida County Board for final action.

Planning & Zoning Director Karl Jennrich told the committee that the department has been reviewing data center applications and presented background and the intent of proposed language in the ordinance amendment. Chair Scott Holewinski opened the public hearing. The transcript records that multiple community members spoke during the hearing; the following individuals are listed in the meeting record as having spoken during the public comment period: Catherine Parker, Tom Neale, Alexa Megna, Niina Baum, Kathleen Cooper, Nate Gaedtke, Erica Rempala, Carol Warden, Nathan Nuszkiewicz, Gerald Anderson, Richard Martin, Joni Davison, Liane Ware, Marca Donahue and Merlin Van Buren. The meeting transcript notes the presence of those speakers but does not include verbatim text of their remarks.

After the public hearing, Dan Hess moved and Michael Tautges seconded a motion to approve Ordinance Amendment #02-2026 (Chapter 9, Article 5, Section 9.57) as presented and forward it to the County Board for final approval. With all members present voting “Aye,” the motion carried.

The committee’s action creates an interim halt on new data center licensing while the county evaluates zoning language and policy. Staff indicated the amendment is intended to pause further applications while more detailed standards or evaluations are developed; the transcript records that staff provided background but does not include the full staff presentation. The measure now goes to the Oneida County Board for final consideration.