{"id":3093,"date":"2026-07-09T22:05:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T22:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3093"},"modified":"2026-07-09T22:05:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T22:05:37","slug":"charlotte-staff-left-city-council-in-dark-on-data-center-task-force-ridiculous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3093","title":{"rendered":"Charlotte staff left City Council in dark on data center task force: \u2018Ridiculous\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Charlotte\u2019s long-anticipated data center task force was scheduled to convene in quiet on Thursday without the knowledge of the City Council or, really, anybody outside city staff and handpicked participants.<\/p>\n

Read more Test-drive tricks got thieves into luxury car dealerships \u2014 then federal court in NC<\/a><\/p>\n

The City Council passed a 150-day moratorium on new data center developments<\/a> in June, giving city staff until at least November to come up with policy recommendations on how the city can regulate them without running afoul of state law. The council also supported the creation of a task force to work with staff on the issue.<\/p>\n

The city was still actively recruiting participants on the morning of the group\u2019s first planned meeting. It\u2019s not clear whether the city held the meeting or whether it followed appropriate public meeting notification laws. Public meetings laws not only apply to the Charlotte City Council, but also to appointed boards created by the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first two meetings are TODAY, Thursday July 9th and July 23rd. Are you available and willing to serve on the committee?\u201d Heather Bolick, Charlotte\u2019s chief sustainability and resiliency officer, inquired in a recruitment email shared with The Charlotte Observer.<\/p>\n

City Council members weren\u2019t aware the task force was convening, much to their frustration. In an email chain shared with the Observer, council members told Bolick and other top officials they were disappointed by the process and felt the city lacked clear internal procedures.<\/p>\n

Councilman JD Mazuera Arias represents District 5 in east Charlotte, where the American Tower Corporation\u2019s proposed data center in a residential area<\/a> galvanized data center opposition. Mazuera Arias told the Observer he didn\u2019t learn about the task force until Thursday, the same day as its initial meeting.<\/p>\n

Mazuera Arias said the city might select \u201can echo chamber of people\u201d to reinforce its thinking without an open process. He still doesn\u2019t know who\u2019s on the task force.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do have a lack of communication problem within the city,\u201d Mazuera Arias said. \u201cThis is not calculus or algebra. This is basic fundamentals of how you create a task force. The way it was created is not how you go about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mazuera Arias said the city should course correct, which means pausing the task force and restarting with advance notice and the chance for anybody, including impacted residents, to apply.<\/p>\n

At-large Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera called for the city to be transparent on how it selects participants and to ensure meaningful community participation.<\/p>\n

Ajmera helped lead the charge to pass a moratorium<\/a>. She lives down the road from the proposed data center near Reedy Creek Nature Center and Preserve in District 5.<\/p>\n

Read more Gastonia woman alleges Advance Auto and police falsely implicated her in theft<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the very beginning, I\u2019ve said the process has to earn the public\u2019s trust,\u201d Ajmera said in a written statement. \u201cThat\u2019s why I called for a stakeholder working group, and why Council unanimously approved the 150-day pause\u2014to give us time to listen, study the facts, and develop thoughtful policy, not rush decisions behind closed doors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kimberly Owens, who represents District 6 in south Charlotte, said Deputy City Manager Alyson Craig called her Wednesday afternoon to see if she had a task force suggestion from her district. Owens didn\u2019t realize the group would meet the next day.<\/p>\n

She told the Observer it would make more sense to focus on the corridors where data centers are popping up. Her district is not one of those corridors.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one thing to say that you\u2019re doing a public forum and soliciting public input, but it\u2019s another thing to actually facilitate that input,\u201d Owens said. \u201cIt didn\u2019t appear each district was asked for a representative for (the task force).\u201d<\/p>\n

Mazuera Arias said City Council members are in touch with city staff to figure out what happened and how they can proceed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I am disappointed, this is an opportunity for us to learn and improve the way we go about these scenarios and initiatives,\u201d Mazuera Arias said. \u201cCity staff have been hard at work to make sure we are answering the right policy questions. This fell through the cracks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robert Dawkins, political director of nonprofit Action NC, called the meetings \u201cridiculous\u201d because they excluded groups like his that were key in mobilizing people on the issue. Dawkins emailed the city on June 23 asking for an update on when a formal data center committee or public input process would be established. He never heard back.<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of us are getting called to the table,\u201d Dawkins said. \u201cAnd if we do get accepted, it\u2019s like Mission Impossible. We\u2019ve got 30 minutes to accept this offer, or this message will self-destruct.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dawkins learned about the task force secondhand on Thursday from somebody who was asked to participate.<\/p>\n

Read more CMS spent $1.7M in contracts with Superintendent Crystal Hill\u2019s ex-colleagues<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Charlotte City Council members and residents say the rushed data center task force lacked transparency, prompting calls to pause and reopen the process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3092,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"\nCharlotte staff left City Council in dark on data center task force: \u2018Ridiculous\u2019 - \u0421harlotte Relocation Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=3093\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Charlotte staff left City Council in dark on data center task force: \u2018Ridiculous\u2019 - 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