Common Council - October 26, 2026

The Kokomo Common Council meeting and public hearing on October 26, 2026, focused chiefly on annexation and industrial zoning for land in the city’s northeast growth area, including a proposed Digital Realty data center. Council heard presentations and public comments on the project’s projected power and water use, noise, effects on nearby residents and Howard Elementary, local employment, tax revenue, and transparency. Digital Realty representatives described a three-building project, estimated 3,000–4,000 construction jobs over five to eight years and several hundred ongoing company jobs; city representatives cited projected annual tax revenue of about $44 million. Speakers questioned those estimates and the project’s potential impacts. The company said it would fund its own utility infrastructure, and officials said project commitments would be addressed in a future public economic development agreement. No contract award or procurement approval occurred.