Resident raises water and workforce concerns about proposed AI data center; council member praised for asking questions

During the public‑expression period at the June 23 Hammond Common Council meeting, resident Mary Schum Jones urged council members to scrutinize a proposed AI data center and to consult outside experts who are not affiliated with the mayor’s interests.

"I wanted to, thank, my councilwoman, Kalwinski, for asking questions about the AI data center. He was the only 1 to do so," Schum Jones said. She told the council that AI data centers "run through a lot of electricity, they also consume a lot of water. An AI data center can consume up to 5,000,000 gallons of water per day. Many of that water is treated with chemicals that make it unusable for drinking." She also raised concerns about long‑term local employment, saying a data center’s workforce often drops sharply after construction.

Schum Jones asked the council to seek outside, independent expertise and to be skeptical of tax breaks and incentives tied to such projects. The council did not take action on the AI‑data‑center issue during the meeting; Schum Jones said her comments followed questions raised by a council member at a prior meeting. The matter was raised as public comment and not as a council agenda item, so no vote or formal direction was recorded on June 23.