NORTH MANKATO — There was hardly an open seat in North Mankato’s council chambers at City Hall Monday evening, as the public made their voices heard on the proposed year-long data center moratorium.
After about 40 minutes of public testimony, the North Mankato City Council voted unanimously to table action on the interim ordinance, delaying a decision until a future meeting to allow for additional discussion and possible revisions.
The public hearing drew dozens of residents, with nearly every speaker supporting a temporary pause on new large-scale data centers while the city studies how such facilities should be regulated.
“A data center does not help the quality of life for the people of North Mankato,” Patrick Cusack, resident and City Council candidate said. “People care about three questions: How can I provide for my family, for myself? How can I pay my bills? And how do I get to work every single day? A data center does not answer those questions.”
Many also urged the council to strengthen the proposed ordinance before taking action.
Several residents called for additional safeguards beyond the moratorium, including requiring a public referendum before any large-scale data center could be approved, prohibiting future non-disclosure agreements related to potential projects, requiring environmental impact statements for future developments and withdrawing from a current and controversial Alternative Urban Areawide Review.
“If you enter into a non-disclosure agreement and do this secretly, you’ll lose the trust of the people here in North Mankato. And once you’ve lost the trust, that’s a hard thing to get back,” Louis Schwarzkopf said during the hearing.
Several speakers also argued the ordinance’s definition of a large-scale data center should be expanded by lowering the thresholds that would trigger the moratorium. One resident noted the proposed 250,000-square-foot standard should instead be reduced to about 60,000 square feet to ensure smaller facilities would also be covered. Others suggested reducing the water-use threshold from 50,000 gallons per day and adding an energy-use limit.
Residents repeatedly urged the city to study issues including water consumption, wastewater capacity, electrical demand, noise, emissions, environmental and public health impacts, infrastructure costs, climate effects and opportunities for public input before adopting any permanent regulations. Several also encouraged the council to consider extending the moratorium beyond one year, which City Attorney Chris Kennedy said could potentially be extended if additional study time is warranted under state law.
He addressed questions about the proposed ordinance, noting that North Mankato does not regulate electric utilities but has clearer authority to consider water use and facility size through its planning and zoning powers.
The council also heard from residents outside North Mankato, including Pine Island resident Aubree Derksen who described her community’s experience with a proposed data center and encouraged the city to take additional time to evaluate potential impacts before moving forward with any future project.
“I have lost so much sleep. My family has suffered. My neighbors have suffered. The councils where these proposals are going up are only looking at it in terms of dollar signs and not with the human impact, not with the environmental impact. It is so much more than the dollar signs,” she said.
During the hearing, Mankato resident Ava Corey-Gruenes clarified that once passed, North Mankato would not serve as the responsible governing unit for future development of a data center outside city limits and Mayor Scott Carlson confirmed they would not take any action under the moratorium.
Lone dissenting speaker Eugene Kasper opposed delaying future development, arguing that with proper oversight, data centers can have a positive impact on communities.
“I don’t see any reason to delay a data center for another major study when so much has already been done, and I can’t see where you’d find anything new,” Kasper said.
Before the council voted to table the ordinance, Council member Sandra Oachs said she supported the concept of a moratorium but wanted to ensure the city’s study would be meaningful and comprehensive. She said issues raised by residents, including water, wastewater, energy, noise, emissions, infrastructure costs, climate impacts, public input and potential loopholes should be incorporated into the city’s review.
“There’s nothing in the works. There’s nothing proposed,” Carlson assured the public on the decision to push back the vote. “Getting it done right is better than trying to get it done quicker.