BROWN COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — On Tuesday night, Brown County’s Planning, Development & Transportation Committee was presented with the idea of a countywide data center moratorium.
The motion was received and placed on file, essentially tabling the discussion. But some members of the community are urging the county to find a way forward.
“Please do what you can to try and help the community. People are here because they love Wisconsin and they love Brown County. Don’t be mistaken about that,” said Katrina DeVille.
“We know that there are limits and ties to what we can do. We recognize that. We also know that together, we can do problem solving. We can come together and use all of our resources and all of our time and energy to stop these companies from coming in and taking advantage of small communities,” said Holly Buell-Nowakowski.
Unlike Manitowoc County, which passed a data center moratorium in April, Brown County doesn’t have countywide zoning. Instead, cities, villages and towns within the county have control.
Even if Brown County had countywide zoning, there would still be another hurdle to clear. The county would need to determine whether a “data center moratorium” is a “development moratorium.” If so, the county likely couldn’t do it, but individual cities, villages and towns likely could, per state law.
The Wisconsin Data Center Coalition said local governments should use caution when imposing moratoriums.
“If a moratorium is being used to truly create something, or research an ordinance or a change in their zoning code or their zoning process or entitlement process in general, that is a useful way to do it. If it’s just being done to stop development, it can actually put future projects at risk, or even just the notion of economic development openness in the area,” said WDCC Executive Director Tricia Braun.
Brown County Board Supervisors Dan Theno and Christopher Welch said they’d begin reaching out to local municipalities to gauge interest on a framework of local protections, although Theno said he believes the ultimate solution is a statewide standard on data centers.
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