City officials are deferring any discussion of future zoning for data centers now that an advocacy group has fired its latest legal salvo, Mayor Jim Buzan said.
“A petition has been filed in the 3rd Court of Appeals seeking to require the city to place the proposed measure on the November ballot,” Buzan said. “Because this matter is now pending before the court, both the city attorney and outside counsel have advised that it is appropriate for the city’s legal arguments to be presented through the judicial process rather than discussed publicly.”
The controversy has grown out of plans for the Blueprint Projects Data Center to be located on an 87-acre tract on the city’s south side, which critics argue was intended for a park. They say they are worried about noise, pollution and drawdowns on the electric grid.
Proponents note data centers are needed for artificial intelligence, banking transactions, communications and other 21st-century technology applications, plus they pump millions of dollars back into the local tax base.
East Williamson County cities have seen an explosion in high-tech industries ever since Samsung Austin Semiconductor in November 2021 announced its intent to build a $17 billion fabrication plant in Taylor.
The advocacy group, Halt Taylor Data Centers, collected 1,400 signatures on a petition calling on the City Council to place a pause on local data center development on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. They want the populace to decide on new zoning and more controls.
However, during a July 9 council meeting, members on the dais said state law prevents them from making zoning decisions based on petition or popular vote, instead suggesting the city’s leaders – not voters -– approve ordinances in September after collecting public feedback.
That wasn’t good enough for Halt Taylor Data Centers, which filed a writ of mandamus against the city July 17. The legal action calls on the Austin-based appellate court to order city officials to place the measure on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Critics of the data center several months ago filed a legal action in state district court to halt the project, but a judge dismissed the suit. The group says they are seeking an appeal in that matter.
With all that has taken place, Buzan — a local businessman who was elected mayor in May — wrote an open letter to residents last week addressing the court order filed against the city.
“We understand the need for transparency,” Buzan said. “At the same time, when matters become the subject of active litigation, there are circumstances in which the city must allow those issues to be resolved through the courts rather than through public discussion.”
Buzan also said Taylor’s legal position will be “fully presented in its response brief, which will be filed with the court in accordance with the court’s briefing schedule.”
The brief will be available on the city’s website once it is filed, according to Buzan.
The mayor has also posted a video apologizing to residents about a city position paper that was publicly posted during the July 9 council deliberations and before residents had a chance to comment. The city called it an “untimely” release.
Meanwhile, there is a special-called meeting 6 p.m. Monday, July 27, at City Hall, 400 Porter St.
The council will consider a water and wastewater master plan, the capital improvement plan and the parks master plan.
