Pontiac — A second attempt by an anti-data center group to get recall petition language approved for the Lyon Township board has failed.
The Oakland County Election Commission unanimously ruled Monday that none of the 23 recall petitions filed against the seven township board members passed a “clear and/or factual” test.
“Most of the reasons were rejected because of issues with when and where (these events) happened and in what context,” said Nancy Hopkins, a petitioner and member of the group No Data Center in Lyon Township. “We are going back to the drawing board for a third time.”
Hopkins and other members of the group plan to consult with an attorney to make the petition language clearer. Group members expressed frustration that more guidance about the recall process was not provided on the county website or by Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown.
Brown previously told Hometown Life that it was “not appropriate to give direction” to petitioners.
Following the election commission’s meeting, the second regarding recall petition language for the Lyon Township Board in a month, Brown said the language again was not clear, and the group could come back.
“Hopefully with different language,” she added.
The petitions most recently submitted cited reasons including board members voting for a $300,000 property purchase, salary increases for themselves and voting for the review of a tax abatement policy that petitioners claimed could benefit the Detroit-based Walbridge construction company and the data center project.
The controversy has engulfed the township since the planning commission approved in September “Project Flex,” a 1.8-million-square-foot, six-building data center on 172 acres in the South Hill Business Park West. Because the land was zoned industrial with data center use permitted, no approval was necessary from the township board.
Residents have shown up at numerous meetings over the last several months, voicing concerns over the hyperscale project and its potential effects on water, electricity, noise, health and property values.
Although the large data center is still going forward, the township’s board of trustees passed a resolution to ensure the community is prepared for similar projects in the future. The board voted unanimously to enact a 180-day moratorium on data centers and all other proposed developments that are 100,000 square feet or greater. The moratorium was enacted so the township planner, engineer and consultants may conduct a review of current data center regulations.
Following the election commission’s decision to deny the recall petition language, Lyon Township Trustee Sean O’Neil wrote in a text, “The Board works hard every day and will continue to do so as we work through this process. We will keep the best interests of the Lyon Township residents at the forefront of every decision we make.”
sbromley@hometownlife.com
Detroit News Staff Writer Max Bryan contributed.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Lyon Township board recall petition language rejected by Oakland Co.
Reporting by Susan Bromley, Hometownlife.com / The Detroit News
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