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Committee member proposes 180‑day moratorium on data center approvals in Spencer County
Summary
A member of the Spencer County fiscal court introduced and the court approved a 180‑day moratorium on processing and approving data‑center applications to allow review of infrastructure, energy and land‑use impacts; the measure passed unanimously and will be forwarded to the city.
A committee member introduced a resolution asking the court to pause acceptance, processing and approval of applications to develop data centers and related structures in Spencer County, saying officials need time to study infrastructure, utility and land‑use impacts. "So I'm requesting a resolution proposing 100 and day moratorium on the acceptance processing and approval of applications for the development of data centers of any size and supporting buildings or structures and all data center, storage facilities and the jurisdiction of Spencer County fiscal boards," the committee member said.
The sponsor and other court members cited concerns including high energy and water demand, on‑site power generation and visual impacts from large facilities. The chair moved to approve a 180‑day moratorium as presented; the motion was seconded and the clerk recorded a roll call. The court approved the resolution (recorded vote: 6–0). The chair said he and the mayor signed the resolution and that the court will take the signed measure to the city for its action.
The resolution is framed as a temporary, county‑level pause to give staff time to evaluate existing policies and infrastructure capacity, develop any regulatory amendments and gather community input. The court noted that other counties have enacted similar moratoria while local governments consider zoning and utility impacts.
The court did not adopt new regulations during the meeting; instead it approved the temporary moratorium and directed staff to begin the evaluation and outreach process.
