Trenton Puts Ban on Large Data Centers to November Voters

The council certified a citizen-led charter amendment after county and state legal guidance, shifting the final decision to the ballot and to local voters.

Overview

Trenton City Council certified an emergency ordinance Thursday to place a charter amendment on the November 3 ballot that would ban data centers that generate more than 25 megawatts of power.
Butler County Prosecutor Mike Gmoser hand-delivered a legal notice urging the council to act after an Ohio Supreme Court ruling and said the 60-day window to move the measure had not closed.
The certified proposal now goes to the Butler County Board of Elections for processing and possible inclusion on the November ballot.
City officials are simultaneously pursuing annexation of 601 acres for a proposed Amazon Web Services site and Prologis is continuing construction on a separate data center, with Madison and St. Clair townships objecting and a hearing set for September 15.
If voters approve the measure it would block future large-scale facilities over 25 MW inside Trenton and could halt or reshape planned projects while legal and administrative fights over annexation and construction continue.