City Council - Regular Meeting

Hello, Broken Arrow. I'm Mayor Deborah Wempe.

And I'm City Manager Michael Spurgeon.

Over the last 45 to 50 days, we've waited like many of you have and wondered if that company that expressed interest in Broken Arrow would move forward to purchase privately owned property on the city's east side and eventually submit an application for rezoning for a data center proposal. Neither the land nor the purchase of the application materialized.

While we were waiting, we were educating ourselves about data centers as much as possible while also listening to you. We've heard your concerns about data centers and rest assured we share many of the same concerns that you have. Right now, we don't have many facts about the impact a data center could have on Broken Arrow. Those facts will come with the due diligence period that has already begun. Our process will help us learn as much as possible about data centers so we're prepared should another company express interest in Broken Arrow.

Now with no known interest and no land use development applications for a data center submitted to the City of Broken Arrow staff, City Council approved a six-month moratorium on Monday night. The moratorium became effective immediately and will provide city administration, staff, and us, the City Council, time to study all of the potential impacts a data center could have on our community and its resources. The Council could extend the moratorium for another six months if the additional time is needed to complete the study.

That's right. We will study noise generation, electricity consumption, water demand and its potential impact on our capacity and system, traffic ramifications, wastewater production, infrastructure, strains, and all environmental impacts. We will also find out about data centers, if there's been any federal or state tax exemptions that have been granted. Additionally, we will use the time to thoroughly review our zoning ordinances. As the ordinance is currently, a data center is not specified. This moratorium will allow us ample time to study ordinances in other cities to determine the most appropriate zoning designation for that specific use.

We appreciate the candid, open, and constructive conversations about data centers that we've had with many of you. Your input has been very helpful. We are a thriving community because of the collaboration between you, our engaged citizens, and the effective local government working together to enhance our quality of life. As always, we will keep you informed when there is new information to share.

Isn't that right, Michael? Absolutely, Mayor. In fact, I want to make sure that at a bare minimum during the moratorium, I will provide you and the governing body with an update during one of the City Council's regular meetings each month. This is what I promise to you and to the citizens of Broken Arrow.

And I thank you for that commitment, Michael. On behalf of the entire City Council, we look forward to being a part of the process and sharing information with the citizens of our great city. Thank you for watching everyone. We look forward to seeing you around Broken Arrow, the city where opportunity lives.