Episode 1: Data Center Debate

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

It's July 14th, 2026.

It's about 95 degrees outside, the hottest day of the year so far.

Inside the air-conditioned Sheboygan City Hall, the planned commission sits in front of a crowd of about 50 people.

The first few agenda items are taken care of quickly, but three minutes after the Pledge of Allegiance, this afternoon's main event begins.

Today, Sheboygan's city plan commission is considering a 12-month data center moratorium.

If it passes the plan commission and common council, Sheboygan would pause consideration of new data center projects for a full year.

In theory, this would give the city time to assess whether a data center is a fit for their community or on what conditions they'd ever allow one.

For the next 30 minutes, residents line up one by one to comment either in favor of the moratorium.

Yes for the moratorium and make it a really, really strong plan because they're going to take every advantage they can of us.

Or also in favor, but arguing that it should be longer.

Data centers and other hyperscale uses are evolving rapidly.

We need adequate time to understand our own existing power and water capacity plus future demands.

18 months would be more realistic.

Residents like Daniel Kamakawa are here to share what they think makes Sheboygan special.

We've got world-class smallmouth fishing right here in the center of town.

In the center of town.

You can't get better than that.

And how a data center might affect the natural landscape and his utility bills.

Unless they can get something into the building code where they have to pay for their usage, we're going to have to subsidize it from my bill.

Here's the thing.

There's no data center proposed in Sheboygan right now.

But these fears are not unfounded.

Residents like Kamakawa see a cautionary tale just 30 miles south in Port Washington, where an AI data center is under construction, despite the objections of many residents.

Port

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

It's July 14th, 2026.

It's about 95 degrees outside, the hottest day of the year so far.

Inside the air-conditioned Sheboygan City Hall, the planned commission sits in front of a crowd of about 50 people.

The first few agenda items are taken care of quickly, but three minutes after the Pledge of Allegiance, this afternoon's main event begins.

Today, Sheboygan's city plan commission is considering a 12-month data center moratorium.

If it passes the plan commission and common council, Sheboygan would pause consideration of new data center projects for a full year.

In theory, this would give the city time to assess whether a data center is a fit for their community or on what conditions they'd ever allow one.

For the next 30 minutes, residents line up one by one to comment either in favor of the moratorium.

Yes for the moratorium and make it a really, really strong plan because they're going to take every advantage they can of us.

Or also in favor, but arguing that it should be longer.

Data centers and other hyperscale uses are evolving rapidly.

We need adequate time to understand our own existing power and water capacity plus future demands.

18 months would be more realistic.

Residents like Daniel Kamakawa are here to share what they think makes Sheboygan special.

We've got world-class smallmouth fishing right here in the center of town.

In the center of town.

You can't get better than that.

And how a data center might affect the natural landscape and his utility bills.

Unless they can get something into the building code where they have to pay for their usage, we're going to have to subsidize it from my bill.

Here's the thing.

There's no data center proposed in Sheboygan right now.

But these fears are not unfounded.

Residents like Kamakawa see a cautionary tale just 30 miles south in Port Washington, where an AI data center is under construction, despite the objections of many residents.

Port