Part of Kathy Dunn's cover sheet for her data center moratorium legislation
Chillicothe Council passed a “data center moratorium” on first reading Monday, to legally block development of the controversial industry within city limits for 60 days.
In the August 24th, 2026 Chillicothe Council session, council member Kathy Dunn’s legislation was allowed to bypass the three-day receipt rule and three-read rule to be passed unanimously.
That means council members had the text for less than three days, and it was not open for public review through three council sessions.
This was about a month and a half after the announcement of a presumed data center, and other developments, for the paper mill site – and after lack of communication from the data center developer when contacted by the city.
The mill site owner, John Todoroki, has given two council members a tour of the former paper mill – but the company that will actually build the facility has not responded to requests from the city.
From the July 2nd news release:
“Through a collaboration focused on deploying advanced AMD hardware and technology at the site, Aligned plans to develop a high-performance computing campus on the property.
“The project represents an anticipated $1.5 billion investment and would establish the campus as a strategic hub for artificial intelligence infrastructure, advanced computing and next-generation technology jobs.”
Sponsor Kathy Dunn explained that the ordinance uses the city’s legal power over building permits and rezoning to block construction of a possible data center.
She said the city’s recently retained legal counsel on the issue, Bricker Graydon Wyatt, assisted with producing the legislation post haste.
Dunn shared a copy of the legislation, as well as her report / cover letter on it. In it she points out that approvals for both “auxiliary” and “large-scale” data center are suspended until October 23rd. Read the text below.
Dunn has also said she plans to attend a conference on data centers in Newark on September 17th; see an outline of it also below.
And, in a side story, learn about how Mayor Luke Feeney and an electronics worker addressed data center concerns in the same council session. See also more in my other previous stories on the issue:
- Chillicothe Council in their Third Session After Announced “Data Center” (August 10th)
- The public speakers in council’s August 10th session.
- The paper mill building proposed to be used as a data center (August 10th)
- Concerns and Info Gathering Continue on Announced Chillicothe “Data Center”(Kathy Dunn’s first report and an insider warning from the July 27th council session)
- City of Chillicothe Taking Action on Data Center Concerns (context for the issue and the July 13th council session)
- The Ross County Commissioners’ Perspective on Announced “Data Center” (as asked on August 6th)
See also news stories on data center issues in Pickaway County and elsewhere, on the Scioto Post.
Find this article on the Scioto Post.
Kevin Coleman covers local government and culture for the Scioto Post and iHeart Media Southern Ohio. For stories or questions, contact Kevin Coleman or the iHeart Southern Ohio Newsroom.
Kathy Dunn’s cover sheet for her data center moratorium legislation:
Outline of a conference on data centers that Dunn plans to attend: