Fort Worth, Texas – As the Texas Legislature prepares to reconvene in January, Tarrant County officials are weighing how best to protect their communities while encouraging responsible growth of data‑center facilities. The discussion unfolded Thursday at the Fort Worth Report 2026 Growth Summit, where Commissioner Matt Krause, Councilwoman Elizabeth Beck and Public Citizen Texas director Adrian Shelley presented differing visions for local oversight.

Local control versus state authority

Commissioner Krause opened the panel by emphasizing that the state will inevitably address data‑center issues, but the specifics of how these facilities operate should remain in the hands of local governments. “We understand the state’s going to have to speak to the data‑center issue,” Krause said, “but leave a lot of regulation — of what it looks like, how it functions in each and every one of our localities — to the local government.”

He cited the 2014 Denton fracking ban as a cautionary tale of state‑local conflict, noting that the state sued Denton for an “arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable” prohibition. Krause warned that drafting detailed local ordinances only to have the state overturn them would waste valuable time and resources.

Councilwoman Beck’s push for home‑rule

Fort Worth Councilwoman Elizabeth Beck, a home‑rule city representative since 2021, stressed that Fort Worth can adopt any regulation not expressly barred by state law. She argued that business incentives for data centers should be removed from the agenda. “(Data centers) are not hurting for funds,” Beck said. “I’m not a huge fan of incentives anyway. As the city of Fort Worth, we have to be very careful with those.”

Beck also called for state legislation to require notification of all residents within 300 feet of a zoning change, regardless of municipal boundaries. Currently, Fort Worth law only obligates notification of residents within the city limits, leaving neighboring communities in the dark.

Public Citizen’s resident‑focused approach

Adrian Shelley, director of Public Citizen Texas, urged officials to engage directly with constituents to determine what they want from the data‑center industry. He highlighted that dozens of Texas counties have already passed resolutions urging timely legislative action as data centers proliferate across the state.

“Cities should be working up to the limits of their authority because, as I am seeing it, that’s what their constituents want,” Shelley said, adding that local leaders should never be forced to sign nondisclosure agreements that obscure project details.

Points of disagreement

Krause advocated a “wait and see” approach, suggesting that local governments should focus on sending clear calls to Austin rather than crafting complex regulations that might later be pre‑empted. He also supported eliminating data‑center tax abatements while cautioning against removing incentives for other industries entirely.

Beck pushed back, expressing distrust of state oversight. “I trust the state government like I trust gas station sushi,” she quipped, drawing laughter from the audience. She praised Governor Greg Abbott’s audit of data centers and the recent halt of environmental permitting, but warned that unknowns remain following the November 3 midterm elections.

Regional coordination proposal

When asked how multiple municipalities should handle a single data‑center project, Krause suggested forming a regional council similar to the North Texas Regional Transportation Council. Such a body would facilitate communication among cities like Fort Worth, Westlake and Keller, reducing the likelihood of disputes seen in the proposed Circle T data center on the Westlake‑Keller border.

Both Beck and Shelley agreed that transparency is paramount. Shelley urged developers to accurately disclose whether a facility has its own power source, and Beck stressed the need for state law to mandate resident notification across municipal lines.

Looking ahead

With data‑center development accelerating across North Texas, the panel’s debate underscores a broader tension between local autonomy and state‑level regulation. As the 2027 legislative session approaches, Tarrant County officials plan to continue lobbying for clearer state statutes that respect home‑rule authority while ensuring environmental and community safeguards.

Nicole Lopez contributed reporting for the Fort Worth Report.

Original reporting: Fort Worth Report — read the source article.