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Public commenters urge caution on water-intensive projects, wastewater plans and meeting transparency
Summary
Multiple public speakers urged the council to prioritize scarce groundwater for residents and agriculture, seek more public meetings on large wastewater projects, and ensure open-meeting rights are protected.
During public comment, residents raised concerns about proposed water-intensive developments and the local effects on aquifers and agriculture. John Little told council that of the planned data centers for a regional project, a majority overlap with an aquifer that has experienced drought, and urged the city to protect water resources rather than support projects that could deplete supplies: "Out of 809 data centers planned, 517 of those are in a aquifer that has had drought problems in the past year... Once we run out of water, we're done," he said.
Other speakers asked the council to hold more frequent and focused public deliberations for projects with large price tags (including a proposed wastewater-treatment plant) and criticized past practices that limit when citizens can speak on agenda items. One commenter recommended several dedicated meetings to vet a multi-hundred-million-dollar wastewater proposal and said postponing public review increases the risk of large cost overruns.
Council acknowledged the concerns and pointed to upcoming budget and CIP processes that will evaluate water and wastewater projects; staff and council said they will consider additional public engagement for projects that carry large fiscal or environmental consequences.
