A large swath of Ohio is suffering from data center syndrome. The main symptom: Say the words “data center” and a community fires up the petition flyers, heads to the farmers market, and eventually lands at the board of elections with the 1,138 valid signatures it needs.
On Tuesday, 18 Ohio communities vote on data center measures, more than in any other state.
The warm-up acts are Piqua and Upper Sandusky, where charter amendments would ban data center construction outright.
Then comes the main act, the mother of all charter amendments: Grove City’s Issue 28. Issue 28 doesn’t stop at data centers. For those of us who actually read the amendment, it felt like a Ginsu knife commercial: “But wait, there’s more!”
It would require a citywide vote on large projects of 50 or more acres, more than 20 megawatts, or more than 500,000 gallons of water a day. That net could catch warehouses, hospitals, churches, and other large employers that have nothing to do with AI.
Make no mistake, the concerns behind these measures are absolutely real. People worry about their utility bills, water, and losing farmland. But writing development rules into a city charter makes them hard to change and turns every big project into a political campaign.
No matter if you’re on the red or blue team, when Ohio towns slam the door, the jobs and tax dollars pack up and move to places like Indiana or West Virginia, and Ohio families may follow them.
There’s a better tool. A moratorium is when clear-minded adults meet and discuss facts. They take the emotion out, look at consequences, and offer alternatives. A charter amendment locks in the fear of the moment and makes it permanent.
Grove City’s leaders started out clear-minded. In June, City Council passed a 12-month moratorium on data centers. Then, about a month later, a 19-section charter amendment surfaced at City Hall. Shazam!
On the same Grove City ballot, South-Western City Schools is asking for a $220 million bond to build new high schools. A new high school campus can easily cover 50 acres or more. The city’s own analysis says Issue 28 reaches schools, and the amendment offers no exemption for public bodies. Vote yes on both, and the school you just funded may have to return to the ballot.
Before Tuesday, read the label. There’s no cure for charter amendment remorse.
This editorial reflects the views of The Pennant Editorial Board. Questions or comments are welcome at [email protected].