David Royer and Melissa Moon

10 hours ago

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis City Council members passed two ordinances regulating data centers on first reading Thursday.

The measures, which must pass two more readings to be enacted, would amend the city’s zoning code for data centers. The council agenda packet included few details.

City Council did not take up a proposed temporary moratorium on new data centers.

Several speakers still had a chance to voice their opinion about the moratorium vote.

“We’ve been organizing for almost a year now, holding community meetings, doing the work that actually you should have been doing at the city council, canvassing the folks, phone making, and letting them know what actually would happen with the moratorium. And that’s why so many people showed up in support of it. They understand that it won’t stop the data centers currently here,” said activist Amber Sherman.


Fight erupts during council meeting about moratorium; vote delayed

The Council moved that vote to Oct. 20 after a heated meeting on the issue Tuesday. Nearly 200 activists and concerned citizens showed up with signs and bullhorns yelling at council members.

“Nobody in the audience wanted to hear anything that was happening up there. They were ramped up from the moment they came in,” said Memphis Councilman Chase Carlisle. “It was a yes vote, or this thing’s going down. Like, that’s not democracy. That’s not the facilitation of the exchange of free ideas. That’s intimidation.”

City Council Thursday. Melissa Moon WREG

The council meeting looked a lot different Thursday.

The crowd was smaller, with extra security and signs reminding folks of the city’s rules of decorum.

State Rep. and congressional candidate Justin Pearson announced he was one of those banned from council meetings.

“Do you know anything about that?” Pearson asked council members. “I have not received that, but I did want to get some clarification because it said that in the letters I’ve seen that I was being disruptive or whoever gets the letter is being disruptive, but I was not being disruptive. “

City council also passed an ordinance that would allow short-term rentals in Memphis to be deemed a public nuisance after three violations.