MASON, Mich — Mason City Council voted to approve the M3 zoning ordinance Monday evening after months of public debate and amendments, setting new restrictions for data centers if one were to enter the community.
- Mason City Council approved M3 zoning ordinance setting data center restrictions despite resident opposition.
- Opponents cite concerns about high water and electricity consumption by data centers.
- Residents plan referendum to challenge ordinance.
The decision came despite strong opposition from residents who have spent months protesting against data centers, citing concerns about their high consumption of water and electricity.
WATCH BELOW: Mason approves data center ordinance despite opposition
"We anticipated that they were going to pass this ordinance," said Paula Caultrider, a local resident who opposed the measure.
During the meeting, Caultrider expressed frustration with the council's decision-making process.
"Where are the public suggestions in the ordinance? You did not listen or read it," Caultrider said.
The Mason City Manager says they thoroughly reviewed community input before making their decision.
"We had over 100 public comments with tons of attachments that we reviewed thoroughly," the city manager said.
According to city officials, the amended ordinance incorporates public feedback and establishes specific restrictions for data centers. Currently, no such restrictions exist if a data center were to be proposed in Mason.
Following the vote, Caultrider announced plans to challenge the ordinance through legal action. She said she has partnered with an attorney to begin a referendum process that would allow residents to vote on the measure.
"It's put on the ballot; it would go to the election in May I believe for the people to vote as to whether they want to approve this ordinance or not," her attorney, Marcus Baldori, said.
The referendum process would require collecting petition signatures to place the ordinance on the ballot for voter consideration.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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