Regulatory Oversight Committee | November 9, 2026

The City of Sioux Falls Regulatory Oversight Committee met November 9, 2026, to review existing state and city rules affecting data centers and consider potential future safeguards. The committee approved the March 26, 2024 minutes by voice vote. Public Works Director Mark Cotter summarized state requirements and local ordinances covering zoning, lighting, noise, setbacks, water and wastewater, utility permitting, and transmission-line siting. City Attorney David Feifele reviewed regulatory approaches in other jurisdictions and explained that local rules must remain within legal limits. No contract awards, bids, or procurement approvals were made. The committee did not adopt new regulations or a moratorium; members requested further research on utility agreements, low-frequency noise, decommissioning bonds, requirements that could run with the property, and regulations used elsewhere. Follow-up presentations on electricity, water, the PUC process, and environmental standards are planned for November 30, with public materials requested by November 27.

Gemini representative Michael Anvar said the proposed site is planned for a potential 500-megawatt campus, but the developer has not secured an end user. Gemini’s preliminary, non-guaranteed estimates project about $5 million annually in municipal electricity taxes and $10.6 million for the state at full operation, plus possible property-tax revenue. Anvar said Gemini is covering Xcel-related grid upgrades and has committed to funding public water and sewer extensions without reimbursement; the project’s approval limits water use to domestic needs and anticipates closed-loop cooling. Xcel would submit the anticipated transmission-line application to the PUC. Committee members and residents raised concerns about noise, water, environmental impacts, accountability, and the project’s proximity to homes; public speakers also expressed support for local jobs and investment. The committee identified no purchasing action, but its ongoing policy review could affect future data-center development and related infrastructure activity.