Cheyenne Mayor Pledges To Provide Data Center Info

Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins is pledging to provide more information to the public on data centers.

In his weekly ''Mayor's Minute" Column on Friday, May 22, Collins wrote the following in regard to public discussion of the data centers: ''One thing I have heard loud and clear - we need to do a better job getting information to you about the issues. Over the next couple of weeks, City staff will be working to publish a website with maps showing the data center campuses and answering the most commonly asked questions. We’re planning to hold a public meeting where your questions can be asked and answered by experts in the field, and we will work with the data center industry to get more information about their plans to you earlier in the process.''

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Data centers have become something of a hot-button issue in Cheyenne recently. Supporters of the centers see them as having the potential to give the local economy a major boost and think there has been a lot of false information circulating about the centers.

Opponents cite concerns about water and electricity consumption, among other issues, and argue too many of the centers are being proposed too quickly for proper oversight and discussion of the possible impacts.

Mayor Says Centers ''Can Provide Great Careers" For Residents

In his column the mayor wrote, "I see data center development in a similar way to Campbell County’s coal mines, Sweetwater County’s trona, or Teton County’s tourism that comes from being located near some of the most beautiful land in America. Properly done, it can provide great careers for our residents and help ensure a stable financial future for our city."

But he also wrote he appreciates the concerns many have and pledged to "do everything we can to  mitigate them."

In his column, the mayor referenced a recent meeting of the Cheyenne City Council Public Services Committee on a proposal for a one-year moratorium one new data centers. That ordinance, proposed by Ward III Councilman Mark Moody, drew strong public comments both in favor of a moratorium and opposed to it. In the end the committee did not make a recommendation on the issue.

Moody's ordinance is slated for second reading before the full city council tonight [May 26].