City Council - 11/09/26 5:30 pm

The City of Marshalltown City Council meeting on November 9, 2026, focused primarily on proposed data-center zoning and operating rules. No contracts, vendor selections, bid approvals, or procurement awards were identified. The council approved second readings of ordinances on mandatory connection to the public water system (15130), restrictions on private wells (15131), and noise-control procedures (15132). It also advanced the first reading of ordinance 15129, establishing data-center development standards. Amendments addressed project scale and review thresholds, noise conditions, decommissioning, emergency response, and water use; several proposed measures, including setbacks, decommissioning requirements, and emergency-response planning, failed. A reclaimed-water amendment passed, providing for up to one million gallons of potable water annually for cooling, with further potable-water use subject to a special-use permit and reclaimed-water availability and feasibility requirements; applicants would bear specified planning, infrastructure, metering, and review costs.

The council also considered the data-center overlay map (ordinance 15133); proposed changes to expand the overlay or remove the Ward 4 area failed, though the transcript’s account of the final vote on the map ordinance is unclear. The council discussed, but did not vote on, extending the temporary data-center moratorium; an extension resolution was expected to return on November 23 and could run through January 22, 2027, or until the relevant ordinances take effect, whichever comes first. These zoning and utility rules could shape future data-center development opportunities, but no specific project or procurement was approved. The consent agenda and 2027 council calendar were also approved.