Jerome Township Bans New Data Centers for Nine Months

The Jerome Township Trustees unanimously approved a nine-month moratorium on the construction of new data centers during a September 3 meeting. The pause affects up to four planned projects and allows officials to transition data centers from a permitted land use to a conditional land use, which would increase township oversight of future developments.

Trustee Wezlynn Davis advocated for the measure, citing an industrial buzz of noise pollution, high power and water consumption, and low returns on investment compared to other industries. Davis also noted that tax abatements granted by Union County officials for existing facilities have limited the commercial tax revenue available to the township.

Amazon.com Inc., which operates two existing data centers in the township, expressed surprise at the moratorium. The company stated it has invested millions of dollars in engineering solutions to reduce sound. An Amazon Web Services spokesperson highlighted that the company supports roughly 2,360 full-time equivalent jobs in Union County annually and paid $1.1 million in property taxes to the county in 2024.