JANESVILLE — Janesville residents are voting on an important referendum that will shape the future of development in the city.
But what are they actually voting for?
In simplest terms:
A yes vote means that down the road, residents would get a chance to vote up or down on a data center or any other large development at the site.
A no vote means any future large development on the site would be up to the city council alone.
Here’s the exact wording you’ll see on the ballot:
Should approval of proposed development agreements, development projects, sales, and leases of the GM/JATCO sites for projects exceeding $450 million in project costs be decided by a majority vote of the electors?
The current referendum is the result of the successful direct legislation petition in January at the height of the most recent data center debate.
Supporters of the measure say that dissatisfaction with previous approval of the now-dropped data center plan shows the need for direct community participation in deciding the future of the site.
The group urging a no vote says approving the measure could doom any future development of the dormant site because developers wouldn’t want to risk investing in plans that could be shot down by voters.
Early voting continues through Oct. 30, with the final in-person Election Day coming Nov. 3.