Ames City Council | July 14, 2026

The Ames City Council meeting held on July 14, 2026, included several procurement and contract-related discussions. Key agenda items involved public hearings and approvals for transportation improvement programs and water system improvement projects, with bids reported as within budget. The council also discussed a zoning text amendment related to convenience general service district standards for fueling positions, with a request from Quick Trip to expedite the approval process. Additionally, the council considered a proposal from Light Edge to locate a data center on city property at the airport, leading to extensive discussion about potential regulatory and zoning changes, including a temporary delay (moratorium) on data center decisions to allow for further study and public input. The council voted to pursue certain regulatory changes and to temporarily delay decisions on data center projects pending further information. The meeting also covered the hiring of Denovo as an advisory group for construction project management to assist with design and change orders. A settlement approval of $75,000 was also passed. Overall, the meeting focused heavily on infrastructure projects, zoning and regulatory policy for data centers, and contract management for city projects.