Amid resident complaints and a plethora of other concerns, Jerome Township Trustees have put a moratorium on the construction of new data centers for the next nine months.
Trustees unanimously agreed to the moratorium at their meeting on Sept. 3.
Trustee Wezlynn Davis said the decision isn't anti-data center or anti-business; it's a pause to make sure the township's growth benefits residents.
"My primary focus is protecting Jerome Township's infrastructure and prioritizing higher-value development. While seemingly appealing, data centers offer minimal jobs and a low return on investment," Davis said.
Amazon's two current data centers in the township have 10-year tax abatements. Davis said those were approved by Union County officials and the breaks mean that Jerome Township doesn't get as much commercial tax revenue as it could.
An Amazon Web Services spokesperson said that the company paid $1.1 million in property taxes in Union County in 2024, and that it supports an average of 2,360 full-time equivalent jobs in the county annually. Amazon did not clarify how many of those jobs were permanent positions in data centers.
Noise pollution
Davis said residents living near the data centers endure noise pollution. Township trustees have received complaints about a persistent, unpleasant "industrial buzz."
"According to the way that the noise is measured, it may be in compliance, but it still is not pleasant," Davis said. "We're finding now that we're experiencing data centers in real time, it is not tolerable for our residents."
An Amazon spokesperson said the company was surprised to learn about the trustees' moratorium.
"We appreciate our partnership with Jerome Township officials as we seek continuous improvement, including multi-million-dollar investments in engineering solutions that further reduce sound and help minimize potential impact on our neighbors," a spokesperson said in a statement.
Other concerns
Data centers use immense amounts of power and water. Davis said there is a cost associated with those resources, and existing residential and commercial consumers shouldn't have to shoulder it.
She added that regulations are changing, including a data center tariff approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, which could be appealed.
"So really, my point is data centers need to bring their own generation. BYOG, if you will," Davis said.
Davis also pointed to safety concerns with the plants. An April fire reportedly tied up Jerome County firefighters for upwards of 30 hours.
Updating township zoning
Davis said the pause on new data centers will allow trustees to rethink the township's zoning policies. Davis wants to move data centers from a permitted land use to a conditional land use, which would give the township more oversight of projects.
"Now is the time that we really make sure that our zoning resolution is written in a way that attracts job creators, high paying jobs, and an industry that generates commercial tax revenue that offsets the cost on our current residents," Davis said.
Davis said up to four data center projects that were in the works were affected by the moratorium.
