The City of Milwaukee Common Council voted unanimously on Oct. 13 to approve a one-year pause on all data center development.
The council members present voted to pass an ordinance banning “the establishment of new data centers or the [expansion] of existing data centers” for one year or until zoning code for the city is updated to regulate the land use, according to the legislation text.
13 out of the 15 elected council members were present, with District 4 Alderman Robert Bauman and District 8 JoCasta Zamarripa excused.
The speed at which data centers have popped up around the country has alarmed the public. The construction of the developments have been found to pose risks for communities where they are established, harming energy and water infrastructure and the environment.
No agency of the city can approve a proposal of any kind, including a permit, an occupancy request or a zoning request for the development of a data center within the city.
“The Milwaukee Common Council is wise to wait out the bubble, while we craft the careful regulatory frameworks that are needed to protect the public interest in data center construction,” said District 14 Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic, the author of the ordinance.
“When we hear our constituents, when we hear their concerns, being the entity closest to the people, we are able to act,” emphasized Dimitrijevic.
The ordinance was jointly sponsored by Ald. Dimitrijevic, District 3 Ald. Brower, District 15 Ald. Stamper, District 4 Ald. Bauman, District 10 Ald. Moore, District 7 Ald. Jackson and District 11 Ald. Burgelis.
A strong supporter of the ordinance who advocated in the committee for a unanimous vote was District 3 Alderman Alex Brower.
“We can send a message to the tech barons that computers should serve humanity, not the other way around,” said Ald. Brower. “And that’s what this data center movement is becoming, where we are continuing to destroy this planet, for the purpose of AI slop, that is on Facebook and our social media platforms.”
Ald. Brower further emphasized the critical role that democratic participation played concerning the ordinance, including the strong opposition from constituents.
The ordinance, originally introduced on March 3, 2026, seven months ago, had to go through a process of attaining approval through the Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee and the City Plan Commission.
“We wanted this done months ago,” says Ald. Dimitrijevic. “The file was introduced months ago, and the people of the City of Milwaukee wanted us to take a stand.”
“Moratorium on data center construction is the sensible way forward.”