BELLEVUE (NBC 26) — The Bellevue Village Board voted unanimously to enact a one-year moratorium on data centers after a public hearing Wednesday night.
- The Village joins several other communities that have enacted a moratorium
- The moratorium bans data center development for the next year.
- Residents of the area spoke out during Wednesday's meeting, in support of the moratorium.
At a public hearing Wednesday night, residents of Bellevue voiced their concerns on data centers.
“I support a ban on data centers due to environmental degradation, noise pollution, fossil fuel pollution, water supply issues and surging electrical bills," Kathy Blaney, a Village resident, said.
They successfully asked the Board to pass a moratorium, banning data center development for the next year.
“It is a complex issue with a lot to say, and I think it’s worth having more instances like this where people can speak up," Anna Grunseth, a Village resident, said.
The vote to institute the moratorium was unanimous.
Village administrator Benjamin Krumenauer said the moratorium can't last forever, but it does give the board time to enact an ordinance that would make it illegal to build a data center in the area.
It's similar to what nearby municipalities – like the Village of Wrightstown, Manitowoc County and several others – have done.
“There is no current development proposal out there," Krumenauer said. "The board asked for this to be out there so that they could clearly understand the overall impact that a data center development could have if - I say if - it came to the Village of Bellevue."
The general goal, was to get ahead of the curve.
“We should absolutely be proactive in taking the time and looking at this now, rather than waiting for a potential development to be at the doorstep here," village trustee, Tom Murphy, said.
The moratorium lasts 12 months, but there is a possibility that the board could extend the ban for another six months.
