The city of Oshkosh is moving toward a potential moratorium on new data centers as residents raise concerns about water consumption and land use.Common Council Member Joe Stephenson said the city will ask staff to begin drafting a moratorium, following Winnebago County's lead with a 12-month pause on new data center construction.Stephenson emphasized the pause would only limit buildings whose primary use is storing data, meaning other businesses that operate a server room would not be affected.WATCH THE FULL BROADCAST HERE: Oshkosh weighs moratorium on new data centersRumors have circulated that Oshkosh's City Center could be converted into a data center. Stephenson pushed back on that idea."I do not know where the rumors started. We are not considering a data center at the city center. I think that would be a very bad use for this building," Stephenson said.Not everyone in the community wants to rule out artificial intelligence or data infrastructure entirely. Oshkosh high schooler Luke Sweet Jr. pointed to the everyday value of AI."I think AI in general is extremely helpful, like in the real world when you're out doing something and you have questions," Sweet said.But other residents are focused on the environmental cost. Oshkosh resident Caprice Swanks cited the city's reputation for clean water as a reason for caution."You know, we're known for like our clean water. So my stance is if AI can become more sustainable, then I could be all for it. But right now, I feel like with data centers and all that, it's using up a lot of water," Swanks said.The Common Council is expected to discuss a data center resolution at its July 14 meeting.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. ...read more read less