City officials said Thursday state law prevents them from putting data center regulations on the Nov. 3 ballot, but they instead will allow public comment in July and approval of a possible ordinance in September.
The notice came at a City Council meeting July 9 where residents wanted to learn the city’s next steps after submitting a petition a few weeks earlier with 1,400 signatures calling on Taylor to control or curb data center development growth.
“We have heard the concerns raised by members of our community, and I want to be clear that this is a determination about the legal process available to the city, not a judgment on those concerns,” said Mayor Pro Tem Kelly Cmerek. “Texas law does not allow zoning to be enacted or changed by popular vote, so the council cannot place this measure on the ballot. But the concerns behind the petition are exactly what we are working to address through our Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code.”
Cmerek urged those who “invested time and energy” in the petition drive “to stay involved as we develop these new regulations.”
However, many of those who organized the petition said they were angered by the council’s decision.
Cmerek added a potential ordinance could help protect neighborhoods in the future.
According to the release, the signatures were certified by Williamson County officials, but a consultation with “outside legal counsel” made clear state law “does not allow a city to enact or change its zoning by popular vote.”
Instead, zoning is established through a review by the Planning and Zoning Commission, published and mailed notices to affected property owners, a public hearing and then a vote by the council.
“The council will take no action on the petition and will not place the measure on the ballot,” a Taylor news release noted Thursday night.
Taylor is pursuing amendments to the city’s Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code to include not “not only data centers but all digital infrastructure,” according to the release. “The proposed amendments would create new requirements for such uses, including environmental protection, performance and compatibility measures to protect neighborhoods, noise mitigation, air quality and water conservation.”
The draft regulations are on the city’s website and available for public feedback and comment at https://fni.mysocialpinpoint.com/taylor-comprehensive-plan-and-ldc.
Much of the public chagrin over data-center development sprang from plans by the Blueprint Projects Data Center proposed for Taylor’s South Side on land neighbors have argued was intended for a park.
Critics say they worry about noise, water use and drains on the electrical grid from a data center. Proponents note data centers are needed for artificial intelligence applications, banking, communications and other digital services.
On Tuesday, July 7, Gov. Greg Abbott during a stop in East Texas called for a ban on building new data centers in rural areas and additional regulations during a campaign stop in East Texas.
For more on this developing story, including comments from speakers at the council meeting, see the next copy of Taylor Press.
