Jackson County commissioners review draft high-density computing facility ordinance, agree to take it to supervisors

Commissioners at a Jackson County work session reviewed a draft ordinance intended to regulate high-density computing facilities (HDCFs), focusing on siting, infrastructure impacts, emergency planning, noise testing and decommissioning requirements.

Becca, the presenter, summarized the draft’s scope and application: HDCFs would not be permitted by right, might only be considered in specified industrial zoning districts, and would require an expanded application packet including an operations plan, utility infrastructure plan, sanitary/water service information, a traffic-impact statement and backup-power and fuel-storage details. The packet is designed to give the county enough information to evaluate land-use, infrastructure and safety implications before approval.

Commissioners flagged several substantive items. Under setbacks and wells (section 5C) a phrase could be read to bar siting within 500 feet of an existing well; members asked staff to revise the language to clarify whether and how existing wells affect eligibility. The draft uses a 50 dBA noise standard with three-year periodic testing and requires baseline, post-startup, complaint-based and expansion testing; commissioners discussed whether that threshold and monitoring cadence were appropriate and asked to compare the standard to the county’s existing wind ordinance language.

On emergency planning, the draft originally said that an operations/response plan “may be provided to the emergency response agency in jurisdiction.” Commissioners debated changing that discretionary wording to a requirement. One commissioner said the plan’s availability to emergency responders is important for responder awareness; others warned that zoning requirements should not improperly regulate EMS operational protocols. The group coalesced around changing the draft to require the plan be maintained and filed with the county and provided to emergency response agencies, while noting that EMS or the 911 center may already maintain business contact lists.

Members also discussed code references and enforcement. A proposed enforcement subsection allows the county, after notice and opportunity to cure, to seek temporary injunctive relief or other lawful remedies if an HDCF presents an imminent and documented threat to public health, safety, property or resources; the draft explicitly states that the subsection must be applied consistently with Iowa Code chapter 335 and other applicable law and was flagged for county attorney review.

Other substantive sections discussed included restrictions to prevent sites from becoming e-waste or debris collection points, screening and lighting standards, structural requirements requiring computing equipment inside enclosed permanent buildings, road-use and infrastructure agreements tied to traffic-impact statements and financial assurances for construction impacts, and decommissioning provisions intended to protect future landowners and taxpayers if an operator abandons a site.

The commission agreed to ask the county attorney to review outstanding legal and wording issues and to schedule a joint work session with the board of supervisors next month to solicit their input before recommending any formal county action. No ordinance provisions were adopted at the meeting; commissioners indicated they were ready to present the revised draft to supervisors for further review. The meeting adjourned after procedural motions to approve the agenda/minutes earlier in the session were carried.

"The plan shall be maintained and filed with the county," Becca said when discussing emergency-contact record-keeping, a formulation commissioners asked to make mandatory for HDCFs rather than discretionary. The draft’s enforcement clause referencing Iowa Code chapter 335 was left for attorney review.

Next steps: staff will revise language on wells and fee/payment destinations, adjust any editorial inconsistencies flagged by members, provide clarified language on emergency-response information (changing 'may' to 'shall' where agreed), and coordinate a joint work session with the board of supervisors after county attorney review.