@ goodgoodgoodco
When a secretive $1.6 billion data center proposal landed in Menomonie with almost no warning, residents had weeks to fight back. They won —
Residents had serious concerns about the project. While companies often win major tax breaks by promising jobs and economic stimulation, data centers bring few permanent jobs and can drain municipal water resources, drive up electric bills, rob cities of tax revenues, and cause damaging noise, light, and air pollution. Already, Wisconsin residents have seen some of these impacts at data center sites in Port Washington and Beaver Dam. Residents in Port Washington have complained about the disruption caused by around-the-clock construction at the new data center. Families near the construction in Beaver Dam have reported that their wells have run dry.
Although the Menomonie City Council voted to annex and rezone the land for the data center in early September [2025], pressure from local campaigners was so great that Mayor Randy Knaack announced at a Sept. 22 city council meeting that he had notified Balloonist that the city would not be moving forward with a development agreement. More good news came in January when the Menomonie City Council voted unanimously to place additional regulations on data center projects.
This comes after the city experienced major push back from a proposed data center last year.
This new ordinance will reclassify data centers and other similar large businesses. Menomonie mayor Randy Knaack says it will allow the city to institute strict guidelines. He says it puts the city on an even playing field with big businesses. “The new zoning will have some perspective on certain issues. It might be water use, it could be height of the building, noise, electricity usage. Those kinds of parameters with the new zoning. So, the city of Menomonie will actually have a better opportunity to bargain, or make things better if things move forward,” said Knaack.
