Wrightstown residents opposed their village officials from considering any artificial intelligence data center proposals in the future by an overwhelming majority in the Aug. 11 referendum.
Of the 1,184 votes cast, about 87% of villagers, equaling 1,033 votes, voted “No” in the non-binding referendum question meant to take the village’s temperature on artificial intelligence data centers and advise officials’ future policy-making; 151 voted yes.
The vote represented the extent of the village’s objections to any such development in the area following developer Cloverleaf Infrastructure’s interest in building a roughly 1-gigawatt artificial intelligence data center in northeastern Wisconsin.
The issue has roiled the relationship between residents and village officials who voted on May 27 to send the matter to a referendum.
Some Village Board members had expressed their openness to a project on economic grounds that the village has struggled to upkeep public services under budget constraints. Village Board member Ryan Roebke had said he preferred a referendum to a moratorium that many residents had asked for, arguing that a referendum would show that the opposition to a data center project in the village was not unanimous.
Village Administrator Travis Coenen had talked with some Cloverleaf Infrastructure representatives since at least January, discussions that Coenen has said were efforts to educate himself and the village.
Villagers have been skeptical of the economic upsides touted by Cloverleaf Infrastructure, and have worried about the impact an artificial intelligence data center would have on their village’s environment, rural character and health.
Jesse Lin is a reporter covering the community of Green Bay and its surroundings, as well as politics in northeastern Wisconsin. He also writes a weekly column answering reader questions about Green Bay. Contact and send him questions at 920-834-4250 or jlin@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Wrightstown overwhelmingly opposes AI data centers in referendum
Reporting by Jesse Lin, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jesse Lin, Green Bay Press-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
