Palo city council advances Google data center ordinance

PALO, Iowa (KCRG) - The Palo City Council voted to approve a data center ordinance at a packed meeting Monday night, despite more than a dozen people urging them to slow down or stop the proposed Google data center project altogether.

The ordinance would essentially lay the groundwork for how future data centers would operate within the city, including noise ordinances, road usage, and water usage.

All but three speakers told the council to vote against the ordinance because it is tied to a proposed Google data center project that would sit outside the current city limits, but the plan is to annex that property into Palo. It would be near the nuclear power plant that is in the process of restarting, providing the data center with consistent power.

Water and electricity concerns

Many speakers raised concerns about the center’s use of water and electricity. Others said a project of this magnitude is a bad fit for the small Linn County town.

“If you want any public support on this project, a water study is 100 percent necessary,” one speaker said.

“You need to be more specific with your ordinance,” another said.

The ordinance that passed its first reading is the same as what the Palo Planning and Zoning Commission recommended. It does not require a water usage study or include an incentive package that spells out how much Palo could make from the deal.

Linn County’s data center ordinance has rules about water usage and monitoring. But once that passed, Google ended talks with the county. If the next two votes on data center rules go like this one, Google will only have to follow state water rules.