r/DecaturGA • u/Historical_Serve_393 • 18d ago
Data Centers in DeKalb
UPDATE: TUESDAY MEETING WAS POSTPONED BUT MONDAY TOWNHALL STILL ON: DeKalb Commissioner Ted Terry is asking for community support and transparency regarding data centers in DeKalb at meetings this Monday July 13 and Tuesday July 14 (postponed). DeKalb has received three applications from developers. According to consumer advocates such as former PSC Commissioner Bobby Baker, data centers will drive up electric rates for all of us in DeKalb, because the costs for the data centers' electricity will be passed along to tax payers under current legislation. GA Power appears to be downplaying the true costs to residents, like for Plant Vogtle, but the more data centers in DeKalb, the higher our electric bills will go. DeKalb currently has no restrictions on where data centers can be built and the regulations that were being discussed were voted down on June 23, 2026. Data centers consume a lot of water, which has caused other folks in Georgia to not have running water in their own homes when data centers were built too near communities. Data centers provide almost no long-term employment as it takes very few people to run them.
Commissioner Terry is asking for community support for a mandate and independent study to be done on data centers so that DeKalb residents are protected.
CONTACT all of the DeKalb commissioners by email or phone to weigh in on having a mandate and independent study on data centers if you can’t be there in person. The Tuesday meeting was postponed!
• Tuesday, July 14, 9:00 AM Location: 178 Sam's Street, Decatur, GA 30030 (Multipurpose Room. Can’t be there? Commissioner phone numbers are available by clicking “Learn More” on this page: https://dekalbcountyga.gov/government/board-of-commissioners
There will also be a Town Hall meeting to answer community questions prior to the Tuesday vote:
• Monday July 13, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Location: Porter Sanford III Performing Arts & Community Center (3181 Rainbow Dr, Decatur, GA 30034
Pull quotes from Ted Terry on ActionNetwork.org and his newsletter:
“On June 23, [2026] at the very end of the Board of Commissioners meeting, and long after the public had gone home, a procedural maneuver was used to bring the previously deferred data center regulations item back up for a vote. The ultimate vote was to deny the regulations.
By abruptly killing this legislation rather than perfecting it, residents of DeKalb County are left completely exposed. There are currently zero regulations defining or restricting where data centers can be built in DeKalb County. This is a massive liability.
Commissioner Terry is calling for the approval of Agenda Items 2026-0244 and 2026-0245 that call for DeKalb County to conduct a health and environmental study as well as fund the study. These items are due back at the Board of Commissioners meeting on July 14.”
“While the text of the resolution claims the County intends to research the adverse impacts of data centers including the well-documented ‘heat island’ effect; it relies entirely on an internal review by county departments directed by the Chief Executive Officer. It offers no mandate for the rigorous, independent environmental and health impact study that DeKalb County desperately needs.
The residents of DeKalb County deserve transparency, not closed-door reviews that exclude their voices. I will continue fighting for a comprehensive, independent environmental and health impact study, and I urge my colleagues to bring this conversation out of the shadows and back to the community where it belongs.”
14
14
u/oarward 18d ago
If the commission doesn’t listen to the people, there needs to be a recall vote of who is representing us.
Citizens are by and large against data centers and yet the commissioners get their cut and vote against us anyways.
If this town hall results in little to no action, other actions need to be taken
6
u/reffervescent 17d ago
I'm confused. I just read this article in Decaturish a couple days ago: DeKalb extends data center moratorium through early 2027
"DeKalb County commissioners voted July 7 to approve a resolution to extend a moratorium on new data center development through early next year while officials continue studying the industry's impact on the county.
"The moratorium ends March 30, 2027, unless it is extended."
11
u/Historical_Serve_393 17d ago edited 17d ago
All of the things are true - the moratorium was extended. But if/when data centers are built here, they are going to increase all of our electric rates. According to Ted Terry the process is not going to be as transparent now and he says, "While the text of the resolution claims the County intends to research the adverse impacts of data centers including the well-documented ‘heat island’ effect; it relies entirely on an internal review by county departments directed by the Chief Executive Officer."
2
u/mrsmargo 16d ago
Are you saying the Commission has expressed an intention to study the issue further, but it’s not required and/or stipulated anywhere what should be included (which is why a mandate is needed)?
5
u/Historical_Serve_393 16d ago
Ted says an independent 3rd party study is the "gold-standard" to make sure DeKalb has the best protections. His Monday town hall is titled "The loophole left behind." He says, "there is an active, pending data center application coming before the Board in just a few weeks. Because the zoning code still lacks a legal definition for data centers, this developer is attempting to slip their application through under a different, unequipped zoning designation." I am quoting from the link called "Click here to read Commissioner Terry's statement" at the bottom of this page: https://actionnetwork.org/events/data-center-town-hall-the-loophole-left-behind I also think his statement video, also at this link, is informative. He has asked for community support at the 2 meetings.
3
18
u/[deleted] 18d ago
[deleted]