JANESVILLE — The Janesville City Council on Monday evening will hold a public hearing, then vote on a direct-legislation petition the could eventually lead to a vote on a data center project proposed for the now-vacant GM/JATCO site in Janesville.
Community members will be allowed to speak to the council about the petition prior to the vote.
The council meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the council chambers in City Hall, 18 N. Jackson Street. The meeting will stream live on the JATV YouTube channel HERE.
The ordinance would require the council to refer any development project at the publicly-owned GM/JATCO site with project costs exceeding $450 million to voters through a referendum.
Council members will have two options at Monday night’s meeting:
1) Approve the ordinance outright, which would put a vote on the data center project on the November ballot.
2) Send the ordinance to a November referendum, which if approved, would mean a vote on the data center would come in the spring of 2027.
In November, a grassroots no Janesville Data Center launched the direct legislation petition drive for a new ordinance.
According to Wisconsin State Statute 9.20, the Council has 30 days to either adopt the proposed ordinance or submit it to the electors at the next spring or general election.
In the meantime, city hall continues negotiations on a purchase agreement for the property.