JANESVILLE — A Janesville city councilman is demanding more transparency regarding a proposed data center project, claiming the council has been left in the dark since approving a preliminary agreement in November.
In a letter sent Thursday to Economic Development Director Jimsi Kuborn, Erdman said he was concerned that the Janesville City Council has remained uninformed about the progress of negotiations and the specifics of the development process.
(Read our full data center coverage HERE)
In the letter, Erdman noted that while the council approved a non-binding Letter of Intent on Nov. 10, no further updates have been provided in the 70 days since that meeting.
That’s when the city formalized the first step of negotiations with Viridian Partners, which is proposing the data center for the former GM/JATCO site.
Erdman and Heather Miller where the only council members to vote against approving the letter of intent.
He said council members have not been involved in establishing guardrails for future purchase or development agreements and emphasized the need for information to fulfill fiduciary responsibilities before the city enters into more binding stages of the project.
Erdman said he is seeking a comprehensive breakdown of how Viridian was selected as the preferred vendor, including evaluation tools, scoresheets and research notes.
Erdman’s also is seeking specifics regarding the city’s negotiating team, project milestones and the anticipated timeline for a formal purchase agreement.
He asked for the identification of all internal and external members of the diligence team and requested information on the city’s specific negotiating targets and non-negotiable terms.
The correspondence also asks for the identity of the proposed end user for the data center.
Erdman noted that during the initial approval, council members expressed a desire for ongoing due diligence, and he characterized his request as a necessary step to ensure the administration is properly vetting the multi-step project.