Shelbyville City Council approved the first reading of a proposal to extend the city’s pause on data-center applications through June 30, 2027, according to Mayor Troy Ethington’s newly posted summary of the November 5 meeting.
The extension has not been finally adopted. Ethington said it will return for a second reading and further consideration November 19. The existing moratorium is scheduled to expire December 31, 2026.
The proposal would continue the pause on accepting, processing, reviewing or approving applications for data centers and similar large-scale information-technology facilities within Shelbyville. It is a city measure, not a countywide ban.
In the summary, posted on the city’s website November 10, Ethington said more time is needed to examine regulatory options, define which facilities would be covered and consider effects on water, infrastructure, public services and land use. He said the planning and zoning process, including public hearings and council consideration, could take two to three months.
Council discussed using energy demand to distinguish larger facilities. Simpsonville’s approach was raised as a possible model, including conditional-use requirements and a prohibition on facilities above 20 megawatts. Shelbyville has not adopted that model, Ethington wrote.
The mayor said he does not support mega-scale artificial-intelligence data centers within the city because of its limited land and infrastructure. The discussion also distinguished those facilities from conventional corporate data centers.
Residents raised questions about pollution, noise, water use, open land and whether planning and zoning staffing would be sufficient to monitor conditional-use permits.
The mayor’s summary does not give a vote tally or identify individual votes on the first reading.
The next council meeting is Thursday, November 19, at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 315 Washington Street.