Aberdeen City Council Regular Meeting – September 21, 2026

The Aberdeen City Council held its regular meeting on Monday, September 21, 2026, at 7:00 PM. The meeting featured extensive public comment and council discussion on data center regulations, approval of the 2027 budget, a property gift to Midwest Street Medicine, and allocation of promotion funds. The council heard from two citizens opposing data centers, debated a wide range of potential ordinance provisions, and took action on numerous routine items.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the agenda with an adjustment moving item 7D to 7A.
• Approved minutes from the September 8 and September 14 meetings.
• Approved six consent items: a rezoning, a lottery notice, a temporary noise variance for police low-light training (October 5–8, 7–10:30 PM at the city firearms range), and a community event permit for the Aberdeen Downtown Association’s Downtown Brew Walk (October 8). All passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Lisa Ronane requested that the council extend the data center moratorium, citing new information. She noted that the draft ordinance from August 31 lacked an environmental impact study requirement. She reported an audible hum from the Ellendale data center (air-cooled) and challenged each council member to visit the site.
• Janelle Meyer urged the council to vote against data centers, arguing they consume thousands of acres of land, millions of gallons of water daily, strain the electrical grid, produce constant low-frequency noise harming residents and livestock, and create fewer than 30 permanent jobs. She stated that the long-term harm outweighs short-term corporate investments.

Discussion Items

Data Center Ordinance (Item 7A – moved from 7D) City Manager Dave McNeil and City Attorney Ron introduced the discussion. They clarified that no data center application is pending, no non-disclosure agreements have been signed, and the council cannot call an advisory election. The council must adopt an ordinance to either prohibit, limit, or regulate data centers (per state law effective July 1). A draft sales tax refund repeal for data centers was also proposed. Council members then shared detailed “wish lists” for potential ordinance provisions:

• Councilman Nielsen: Support extending zoning jurisdiction up to three miles beyond city limits; favor a 5 MW cap (not 10); appreciation for staff reports.
• Councilman Econger: Proposed a 5 MW per facility cap, a citywide total cap of 15 MW, an 18-month build-out window, noise limits (70 dB at property line with no tonal variation >15%), closed-loop cooling, water chemical restrictions, proximity buffers, independent city testing and semi-annual reporting, no tax breaks, a power agreement protecting residential customers, and a housing plan for construction workers.
• Councilman Ward: Advocated for tiered scrutiny based on project size rather than arbitrary megawatt limits; recommended requiring more proof (noise modeling, water analysis, road planning) as size increases; suggested community benefit agreements (e.g., $1M per MW).
• Councilman Liebelt: Prioritized requiring data center companies to provide their own housing for employees, citing housing strain from Ellendale.
• Councilman Ronane: Supported either prohibition or very robust regulation; emphasized expanding zoning jurisdiction to a three-mile extra-territorial zone; called for a ban on NDAs for all city business; demanded real accountability (ability to shut down violators).
• Councilman Floberg: Raised concerns about future-proofing definitions, sunset clauses, and the possibility that “data center” definitions may become obsolete; suggested thinking about what kind of computing industry Aberdeen wants to attract.
• Deputy Mayor Johnson: Proposed extending the moratorium to approximately June 1, 2027, due to the Ellendale project’s housing impacts; suggested allowing only data centers up to 10 MW, prohibiting hyperscale campuses, no tax breaks, no TIF, I-2 zoning with special exception, closed-loop cooling, developer-funded infrastructure, and workforce/housing analysis.

Discussion also included the need to get accurate information on Ellendale’s timeline and a general sense that the council wants a tiered ordinance with strong enforcement. City Attorney Ron indicated he would draft two ordinances: one to repeal the sales tax refund for data centers and a second with robust requirements. The council did not vote on substantive ordinance language but provided direction.

Promotion Funds Allocation (Resolution 260902R) Council debated an amendment to reduce the Aberdeen Downtown Association allocation from $125,000 to $124,999 to avoid a financial review requirement. The amendment failed 1-8. The original allocation of $125,000 (and all other allocations in the proposed chart) were then approved on a roll call vote (8-0). Total promotional fund distribution is $1,750,000.

Other Discussion Items

• Ordinance 260901 (2027 Budget) – Second reading and final adoption; passed unanimously on roll call.
• Resolution 260904R (Surplus Property Gift) – Declared surplus the house at 824 Third Avenue SW and gifted it to Midwest Street Medicine for a walk-in clinic/headquarters, with a five-year use requirement; passed unanimously.
• Ordinance 260902 (Rezone 24 North State Street) – Rezone from I-2 to R-2 to match existing single-family use; approved unanimously.
• Ordinance 260903 (Off-Street Parking Updates) – Amended sections 60-159 and 60-160 to modernize parking standards; approved unanimously.
• Pay Request #15 – Water Reclamation Facility – $2,561,414.94 to PKG Contracting; approved 8-0-1 (Nielsen abstained).
• Byrne Grant Application – Authorized application for about $21,000 to split with Brown County Sheriff; used to upgrade less-lethal munition launchers; approved unanimously.
• Pay Request #2 and Change Order #1 – Water Treatment Plant – $41,289 base plus $4,272.47 change order for added steps; approved unanimously.
• Snow Removal Services Bids – Approved 2026-2027 contract awards; approved unanimously.
• Ride Line Grant Extension – Extended grant 81238 for bus storage facility planning to December 31, 2026; approved unanimously.
• Claims and Payroll – Approved as presented.

Key Outcomes

• Consent calendar approved unanimously.
• 2027 budget (Ordinance 260901) adopted unanimously.
• Surplus property gift to Midwest Street Medicine approved unanimously.
• Promotion funds resolution (260902R) approved with original $125,000 for Aberdeen Downtown Association (amendment failed).
• All remaining consent and new business items approved as noted, most unanimously.
• Data center ordinance: Council directed staff to draft a comprehensive ordinance based on the wish list, including size caps (likely 5-10 MW), strict noise and water standards, no tax breaks, potential zoning jurisdiction expansion, and strong enforcement. The council will consider extending the moratorium resolution at a future meeting; timeline remains ambitious with a target to present a draft at the next meeting (September 28).
• City manager’s report: Confirmed water sales to Ellendale facility (over 1 million gallons in two months) are within capacity; announced a housing and workforce update from the economic development director for the next meeting.