(KIWA Staff Photo)Salix, Iowa (RI) — Some residents became unruly before a close vote Thursday night on a hot-button topic in northwest Iowa.
The Salix City Council voted 3-2 against enacting a one-year moratorium on data-center development. Opponents of the project grew vocal, prompting Mayor Kevin Nelson to call for police officers to restore order.
No arrests were made.
Council member Denise Burkhart, who supported the moratorium last month, changed her vote after Google was identified as the potential customer.
Just before the vote, council member Gene Monk said he believed the moratorium had already passed during last month’s meeting and only the details needed approval.
Last week’s city council meeting was postponed after death threats were made via social media.
Salix leaders have already annexed 900 acres of farmland south of Sioux City for a potential project involving both Google and MidAmerican Energy. The city is facing a legal challenge from Woodbury County over the annexation. The land would still need to be rezoned before any data-center construction could move forward.
