The Brown County Planning, Development & Transportation Committee recently postponed discussions on a proposed countywide data center moratorium. This decision has left some community members calling for more decisive action to protect local interests.

Community members like Katrina DeVille and Holly Buell-Nowakowski voiced their concerns during the meeting, emphasizing the need to safeguard Brown County from external companies potentially exploiting small communities. Buell-Nowakowski highlighted the importance of collective problem-solving to address these challenges.

Unlike neighboring Manitowoc County, which successfully implemented a data center moratorium in April, Brown County faces unique challenges due to its lack of countywide zoning. Instead, zoning authority resides with individual cities, villages, and towns within the county. This decentralized approach complicates the potential for a unified countywide moratorium.

Even if Brown County were to adopt countywide zoning, another hurdle would remain: determining whether a ‘data center moratorium’ qualifies as a ‘development moratorium’ under state law. If it does, the county might be restricted from imposing such a moratorium, leaving the decision to individual municipalities.

Local and Statewide Implications

The Wisconsin Data Center Coalition has advised local governments to exercise caution when considering moratoriums. According to WDCC Executive Director Tricia Braun, moratoriums should serve constructive purposes, such as facilitating research or ordinance development, rather than merely halting development, which could deter future economic projects.

Brown County Board Supervisors Dan Theno and Christopher Welch have committed to engaging with local municipalities to explore frameworks for local protections. Theno also expressed a preference for a statewide standard on data centers, suggesting that a broader approach might offer more comprehensive solutions.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.