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Commissioners direct staff to draft six-month moratorium on data-center applications
Summary
After noting permitting problems in other jurisdictions, Bannock County commissioners asked staff and legal to prepare a six-month moratorium resolution on data-center applications to allow ordinance review and impact study; planning staff will draft language for next week's meeting.
The board discussed placing a temporary pause on data-center development applications in Bannock County and directed staff to draft a six-month moratorium resolution. The Chair said he returned from the National Association of Counties meeting with concerns and proposed a resolution "that we put a 6 month moratorium on any and all applications for data centers in Bannock County" to allow time to finish current ordinance work and study necessary protections.
Planning Director Hal Jensen supported the pause, saying the county had observed a pattern similar to prior issues with solar permitting and that the existing conditional-use permit process may not sufficiently protect county constituents. "We have a conditional use permit that's currently in our ordinance, but I don't think that conditional use process protects the constituency of Bannock County should an application come," Jensen said. Commissioners agreed staff and legal will draft collaborative language and present a resolution next week. No formal moratorium resolution was introduced or voted on at this meeting; staff committed to prepare a draft for future action.
The item establishes direction to research regulatory options and produce proposed ordinance or resolution language; it does not change permitting rules until a resolution or ordinance is formally adopted.
