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Vice mayor urges caution on data‑center proposals, cites utility and workforce concerns
Summary
Vice Mayor (speaker 7) urged caution about locating large data centers in Junction City, citing the city—s limited electrical and water capacity, pollution and lithium‑battery firefighting risks, uncertain long‑term job benefits, and suggested coordinating with county counsel on potential moratoria.
During commissioner comments Vice Mayor (speaker 7) addressed early discussions about data centers and said Junction City is not ready to host large data centers at this time. She listed concerns about the city—s electrical grid and water supply, pollution and mitigation technology, fire risks from large lithium‑battery installations, limited local workforce to fill high‑skill positions and the risk that economic benefits would be small and short‑lived.
"I do not believe Junction City is the place to put a data center at this time," the vice mayor said, describing infrastructure constraints and the potential public‑safety burden. She noted the county is exploring a moratorium and suggested the city coordinate with county counsel on any local moratorium or targeted rules. The vice mayor said she is not proposing a moratorium at the meeting but that the conversation should continue and that the city should be deliberate if it considers incentives or approvals for different classes of data centers.
