A Port Washington referendum giving residents more control over local development incentives passed with nearly 66% of voters in favor, Wisconsin Public Radio reported.
The referendum was introduced after residents felt the city’s approval of a tax incremental district for a data center project lacked transparency and left the public out of proceedings.
Voter approval will be required to green light large development incentives.
Massive data centers are being constructed around the state largely to support the computing power needed for artificial intelligence applications.
The public has had contentious feelings toward data center projects across the nation, with some concerned about how they will affect water and land resources, in addition to utility bills.
