Protect Menomonie’s Progress: Submit Your Public Comment Today to Save the I-4 Zoning Ordinance

Menomonie has made incredible strides in drafting the I-4 Data Center Industrial District Ordinance. The current draft represents a tough but fair middle ground, packed with heavy protections for our community—including massive property setbacks, strict building height limits, and aggressive noise and light pollution thresholds.

However, this progress is in serious jeopardy. Extreme demands are being pushed to force unconstitutional bans and absolute utility caps into the text. If these legally indefensible changes are added, it will trigger a catastrophic “regulatory taking” lawsuit. A judge would strike down the entire I-4 framework, leaving Menomonie with zero data center protections and opening the floodgates for developers to build with no setbacks or water caps at all.

We cannot let short-sighted strategies destroy the shield we’ve built. We need your voice to protect Menomonie’s legal guardrails and keep our ordinance intact.

The community has worked hard alongside the city to draft an I-4 ordinance that protects against corporate overreach.

Why We Must Support the Current I-4 Draft

• It is our maximum legally enforceable shield: The current draft pushes environmental and structural controls to the absolute legal limit. Deferring to the City Attorney’s guardrails ensures our protections survive a courtroom challenge.
• Bans create a “Whack-a-Mole” legal trap: Forcing an illegal, de facto ban into municipal zoning invites tech conglomerates to sue the city. Invalidating the ordinance exposes taxpayers to severe financial liability and leaves our land completely unprotected.
• The real fight is at the state level: Local zoning can’t solve concerns about big-tech tax breaks. Local activist energy should be channeled toward supporting state-level legislation—like bills aiming to repeal the data center sales tax exemption entirely—rather than legally compromising Menomonie’s local protections.

📢 Take Action: Make Your Voice Heard!

Show the City Council that Menomonie values a legally defensible, lasting ordinance over an illegal ban that will fail in court.

• Option 1: Submit a Public Comment via Email
  Send an email to your local City Council representatives. Explicitly state that you support the strict environmental controls in the current I-4 draft only if they remain legally defensible, and urge them to reject any extreme additions that create taxpayer liability.
• Option 2: Speak in Person
  Attend the upcoming City Council meeting. Step up to the microphone during the public comment session to voice your approval for the city’s middle-ground draft and reinforce the need to stick strictly to the City Attorney’s legal guardrails.

Meeting Details & Public Comment Information

The City of Menomonie will present the latest I-4 Ordinance draft to the public during an upcoming session. [1]

• Date & Time: Monday, October 19, 2026, at 7:00 PM
• Location: City Council Chambers, City Hall, 800 Wilson Avenue, Menomonie, WI 54751
• Email Submission: You can submit written public comments directly by emailing communications@menomonie-wi.gov or the City Clerk at clerk@menomonie-wi.gov

✉️ Ready-to-Send Email Script

Subject: Public Comment: Strong Support for Legally Defensible I-4 Ordinance Guardrails

Dear Mayor Crowe and Members of the Menomonie City Council,

I am writing as a resident to express my strong support for the current draft of the I-4 Data Center Industrial District Ordinance.

The strict environmental and structural protections integrated into this draft—including the massive property setbacks, building height restrictions, and tight thresholds for noise and light pollution—represent a highly effective and responsible shield for our neighborhood. I value these protections precisely because they push municipal regulatory authority to its maximum enforceable legal limit.

I urge the City Council to stand firmly behind the legal guardrails outlined by City Attorney Larry Konopacki. We must reject any extreme additions, absolute utility caps, or de facto industry bans that threaten to legally compromise the ordinance. Incorporating legally indefensible provisions risks a “regulatory taking” lawsuit that could invalidate the entire framework. If the ordinance is struck down in court, it will leave Menomonie completely exposed with zero protections against unregulated development.

Please protect the progress our city has made. I urge you to pass the current I-4 ordinance draft only as long as it remains legally defensible, ensuring our community is shielded by a lasting, enforceable framework rather than an illegal ban destined to fail under a courtroom challenge.

Thank you for your time, leadership, and dedication to protecting Menomonie’s future.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your Address, Menomonie, WI]