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Supervisors raise data‑center concerns; ask staff to consider zoning and ordinance updates
Summary
Board members reported NACO conference takeaways about data centers and discussed potential county policy work: evaluating noise, power, water, emissions, setbacks and appearance and whether to pursue proactive ordinances or a study pause rather than a moratorium.
During board reports a supervisor summarized information from the recent NACO conference and raised local concerns about proposed data centers. The speaker described economic benefits (tax and equipment revenue) and cautioned about capital intensity, water and power usage, noise, emissions and appearance. He recommended the county consider best practices for review and asked whether Planning and Zoning should be directed to look at ordinances and land‑use constraints.
Several supervisors agreed that Black Hawk County likely lacks immediate utility capacity to attract major hyper‑scale data centers but that the time is right to educate the public and prepare policy options. A supervisor noted: "Data centers provide municipalities with substantial economic and fiscal benefits... But... we do have a responsibility when we're elected to look out for the taxpayers as well." The Board discussed whether to study the issue proactively and consider draft policy language rather than imposing a moratorium that could deter other development.
