A fight over data center growth in St. Joseph County, Indiana, is a key point in the campaign battle over a county council seat.
According to WNDU, Republican Jamie O'Brien and Democrat Jan Cervelli each support a moratorium on additional data centers in the northern part of the county, as Microsoft's Granger operations could keep expanding.
What's happening?
In the race for the St. Joseph County Council District C seat, both candidates say the county should stop approving new projects and take time to evaluate the effects of data center development before allowing further expansion.
Speaking at a county council meeting, O'Brien urged the county to adopt a two-year moratorium.
"I want to look at a timeframe which is a reasonable, realistic time frame to, what I believe, see the conclusion of the New Carlisle data center, or substantially all of it, to see how the operations unfold," he told WNDU.
The outlet reported that Cervelli has opposed additional data center development and hosted a public information session on the issue in February. She is also calling for a pause while county officials put stronger protections in place.
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The issue goes beyond a single facility. Residents and leaders are weighing what expansion could mean for neighborhoods, utilities, traffic, and future land use in a fast-growing part of the county.
No moratorium is in place, and the county council has zoning authority.
Why does it matter?
The debate is as much about quality of life as it is about planning. While large data centers can bring investment, they also raise concerns about water use, electricity demand, noise, and whether industrial-scale development fits within existing communities.
WNDU reported that Brandon Oyer, AWS' director of power and water for the Americas, disputed concerns, saying, "Our data centers here in New Carlisle and St. Joe County use water for less than 2% of the year. So, 98% of the year, they will just use air to cool — no water will be used for cooling."
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Even with that assurance, many residents and officials say they want time to understand how these projects affect daily life before more are approved.
Opponents of moratoriums often argue that such pauses can slow job creation, tax revenue, and business investment.
What's being done?
At the policy level, both candidates are asking the county to halt new approvals long enough to collect more information before permitting additional development.
Such a pause could create room for impact assessments, stronger zoning protections, and more public input on matters involving resource use.
"I think we need to see how they unfold, how the development operates, how the construction operates, what interruptions there are, and then ultimately the impact on the quality of life," O'Brien said.
Cervelli stated, "We know that Microsoft is going to expand. I met with them one on one. They told me they always look to expand. So, we need — the pressure is on right now to get those protections in place now."
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