The Vance County Board of Commissioners voted 5-2 to put a 60-day moratorium in place for data center development.

Commissioners Leo Kelly and Valencia Perry voted against the motion put forward by Commissioner Tommy Hester.

Commissioner Perry told WIZS News Tuesday that the 60-day moratorium was “a smokescreen. The text amendment will be fixed and it will no longer be needed.”

Before Hester made the motion, Kelly made a motion for a 6-month moratorium, but County Attorney Jonathan Care said the motion could not be made because proper notice had not been advertised.

Because the legal notice publicized a 60-day moratorium, that was what commissioners could vote on.

During two public hearings – both involving data centers – commissioners on Monday heard from members of the public who oppose the data center development on a roughly 500-acre tract along U.S. Hwy. 158.

In comments to those in the audience, Kelly said he didn’t think a 60-day moratorium was long enough. He said he would be in favor of a 6-month or longer moratorium.

Commissioner Yolanda Feimster said she agreed with Kelly that more time was needed, but ultimately voted in favor of the 60-day moratorium.

In comments as much to the audience as to her fellow commissioners, Feimster said she has learned about data centers from the public as well as doing her own research.

“I think the public assumes because we have not acted in this way or that way…that we are not listening to what they are saying. We get the emails, we read the emails,” she said.

“We are in a situation where we have to look at the entire picture,” Feimster continued. “There’s a whole county full of people and everybody has their own opinions, everybody has their own concerns. We have to look at the concerns of everybody. And that’s not something that can happen overnight. It does take time.”

Commissioner Perry said Tuesday that she would be in favor of a year-long moratorium for the future, in the event that other developers approach the county that commissioners will have time to consider it and “learn from this experience.”

The 60-day moratorium began upon its adoption Monday night, and County Manager Renee Perry clarified Tuesday that it would terminate on Nov. 13 or upon adoption of an amendment to the requirements for data centers in the current Vance County zoning ordinance.

County Manager Perry stated, “The Board reserves the right to extend, amend, or repeal this moratorium as deemed necessary in accordance with N.C.G.S. 160D-107.”

At a meeting in August, Attorney Care said that, by law, commissioners must clearly identify four specific areas to satisfy the requirements necessary to put a moratorium in place, including a statement of the problems and conditions, the development approvals that would be subject to the moratorium, a date for termination of the moratorium and a statement of actions and schedule of actions that the county will undertake during the moratorium.

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