Aurora rejected a moratorium, but it did not reject the six-month proposal named in the original title because that item was removed before the vote. The rewrite makes that minimum title correction, fixes the obsolete council-transition narrative, and replaces unsupported or incomplete claims with verified reporting and government sources.

The Direct Message Tension: Aurora wants enforceable water and zoning rules for data centers without freezing applications while those rules are written. Aurora City Council voted 7-4 on August 10, 2026, to direct staff to develop data-center-specific regulations. Council members instead rejected a broader resolution sponsored by Amy Wiles that contained an indefinite pause on new development applications alongside additional land-use requirements. The company’s closed-loop cooling system uses about 2,400 gallons of water daily, according to Aurora Water Deputy Director Shonnie Cline. Lochbuie approved a five-year pause, the longest active data center moratorium reported in Colorado.