Residents urge San Angelo council to impose one-year moratorium on data centers, citing water, transparency and noise concerns

Speakers during the public-comment period on March 3 urged the San Angelo City Council to impose a one-year moratorium on data center development while city staff and residents gather more information.

Heather Wiley, a District 3 resident, told the council that Texas is in the midst of a data-center boom and asked the city to pause new approvals "until more information is available and a deeper analysis of the ways the data center boom will affect the Texas grid, San Angelo electricity and gas rates, our water resources, our land, and the true benefit to the community." Wiley said she could not find needed information on the city's data center webpage and called for transparency and community benefit agreements.

Richard Summers, of District 5, submitted six detailed questions for the record directed at Skybox, the company being discussed: whether Skybox will confirm in writing compliance with the city's adopted data-center regulations; whether the facility will forego high-capacity computing such as crypto mining or large-scale AI training; what, if any, incentives the city is offering and whether tax abatements are on the table; and whether any incentives would be paired with enforceable community-matching commitments. Summers also flagged design concerns, saying a proposed 75-foot building height could set an undesirable skyline precedent and urged proportionate stepbacks for upper floors to preserve sight lines.

Steph Baca, another resident, also requested a one-year moratorium and asked the council to require independent environmental and infrastructure impact assessments and public hearings before commitments or incentive agreements are finalized. Baca said residents deserve “full disclosure of all negotiations, agreements, and incentive discussions.”

Council members did not take action on the requests during the March 3 meeting. Mayor Tom Thompson closed the public-comment period and moved the council into its consent agenda. No staff presentation or formal city response to the specific Skybox questions was recorded during the public-comment segment.

Why it matters: Data centers can strain local utilities and water supplies, affect local rates and property compatibility, and sometimes require city-level decisions about incentives and land-use rules. Residents asked the council for time and additional study to ensure the city's policies, negotiations and any incentive packages are transparent and enforceable.

Next steps: No moratorium or ordinance was proposed or adopted on March 3. Citizens requested written confirmations from developers and further public disclosure; council members and staff may return the topic to a future agenda if requested or if staff provides the requested information.