Across the United States, the rapid expansion of data centres is creating deep divisions between municipal governments and residents, with accusations of secrecy, profiteering, and a breakdown of trust. In Wilmington, Ohio, resident Quintin Koger Kidd filed a court complaint to remove the mayor and city council after learning of plans for a $4bn Amazon Web Services data centre on 500 acres south of town. Amazon has sought a 30-year property tax exemption in exchange for funding local schools and infrastructure.
Koger Kidd described the situation as 'the digital colonization of flyover states', claiming that local officials have been taken advantage of by big tech companies. Similar tensions have erupted elsewhere: in Port Washington, Wisconsin, three people were arrested at a council meeting in December after a brawl over a proposed data centre. In DeKalb County, Georgia, police escorts were needed at a meeting discussing the same issue.
The backlash has prompted resignations. In Ashville, Ohio, the mayor and a council member quit abruptly after residents opposed a facility by EdgeConneX, leaving the village of fewer than 5,000 without experienced administrators. In Saline Township, Michigan, leaders voted against rezoning farmland for a data centre, but were sued by developer Related Digital for 'exclusionary zoning'. They settled, paving the way for a 1.4-gigawatt, $7bn project that locals say will strain the electricity grid while offering minimal community benefits.
Fred Lucas, an attorney representing Saline Township, called the debate 'one of the most divisive things I've seen in 50 years of municipal law'. He added: 'It's been a nightmare. Every meeting is filled with people calling for everybody to resign.' Some residents have sued township leaders for alleged violations of Michigan's open meetings act. Related Digital claims the project will create 2,500 union construction jobs and thousands more, but declined to comment on the unrest.
