Facing strong public opposition over noise, water usage, and environmental impacts, the Crossville City Council took a key step today toward restricting new data centers by approving the second reading of an ordinance establishing a 24-month moratorium. The proposed moratorium (Title 14, Chapter 12) would temporarily halt new data center developments while the city and Cumberland County coordinate on regulations covering noise standards, water conservation, and strain on electrical infrastructure. Jacob McGonagall, an IT professional and MSP owner, questioned the necessity of large-scale data centers, arguing they primarily serve massive data collection rather than essential needs. Mayor R.J. Crawford and others noted the lack of comprehensive zoning makes regulation challenging, but emphasized they have “heard” residents and do not support massive hyperscale data centers. Officials plan to engage state leaders on long-term data center policy.