A meeting on data centers in Lubbock, Texas, turned confrontational when a man yelled at Mayor Mark McBrayer. The meeting, hosted by the group ‘Save Lubbock,’ was about a proposed 18-month moratorium on new data centers inside the city limits.
Concerns About Data Centers
Most of the meeting featured Clayton Tucker, a Democratic candidate for Texas Agriculture Commissioner, who presented ways to slow down or stop large-scale data centers. He suggested an Agricultural Development District as an alternative.
During the question-and-answer session, a woman asked about the benefits of data centers to the community. Mayor McBrayer responded that the city needs property tax revenue from businesses to fund city services, citing Leprino, a large-scale cheese provider, as an example.
Local activist Phyllis Gant interrupted the mayor, stating that Leprino’s jobs mostly went to people from other parts of town, not the local community. The meeting ended with a man yelling at the mayor, who refused to continue the meeting due to the man’s behavior.
Next Steps
The group ‘Save Lubbock’ is collecting signatures for a petition to force a vote on the proposed moratorium. If they collect enough signatures, the City Council will vote on the proposal, and if rejected, it will go to a citywide election.
Original reporting: Lubbock Lights — read the source article.
