A multibillion-dollar-75-acre data center proposed for Salem’s Mill Creek Corporate Center by a Google-funded company called Verrus will consume the bulk of Monday night’s city council meeting.  The meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday, July 27 at the Salem Public Library downtown will also give Sale m residents their first chance to comment on the data center project, which has generated significant concern since it was publicly disclosed last week.   On Monday, Salem City Councilor Micki Varney will propose two separate motions, one to look into banning the city from entering into non-disclosure agreements with companies interested in building data centers in Salem, and the other to create a nine-person task force that would consider future data center projects before they move forward.  Councilors were also provided an information report related to the data center project which included preliminary site plans, the city’s non-disclosure agreement with the company proposing the data center, and information related to a series of pre-application meetings between city staff and company leaders, among other documents.  Verrus said the data center would deploy more efficient technology and would consume less water than conventional data centers.  A company spokesperson told Salem Reporter that Verrus is still engineering its plans for the Salem project and could not specify how much water or electricity the proposed data center would use. The company still hasn’t submitted its application but said it plans to soon.  City officials told Salem Reporter that because the data center is proposed for the Mill Creek Corporate Center, already pre-zoned for industrial projects including data centers, the Verrus project is likely to gain approval as long as it is in line with the city’s land use code.  Before any approvals are made, Verrus will have to submit its site plan and application for review, a back-and-fourth process between city staff and the company that could take as long as 180 days.  Only then can Verrus’ proposal be approved by the city, triggering a 14 day public comment period followed by a 15 day appeal period where residents who testified could appeal city decisions related to the company’s application.  Varney’s motions  Banning data center related non disclosure agreements:  Varney will ask her colleagues on the council to support looking into banning the city from entering into non-disclosure agreements with companies wishing to build data centers in Salem, according to her motion.   Varney said in her motion that while non-disclosure agreements are common in economic development, “Data centers, in particular and as they relate to NDAs, are unique projects. They can involve significant impacts to our community, including energy, water, infrastructure, and environment, and they generate a high level of public interest.”  “The question to ask is whether our current approach strikes the right balance between protecting business confidentiality and maintaining public trust,” Varney said in the motion.  Setting up a city task force to focus on future data center developments:  In her motion, Varney will urge her colleagues to authorize a nine-member task force made up of three residents, council members, union representatives and at least one representative from an organization that leads workforce development.  The task force would be able to convene at least three town hall meetings to discuss data centers and would have to report to council on Dec. 31, 2026, with a proposed policy for managing future data center projects.  “This motion does not change city policy tonight, nor does it prohibit data centers at this moment,” Varney’s motion said. “My goal is to ensure that council, stakeholders and community members get to have this conversation before any future data centers move forward.”   Get involved  How to watch Monday’s Salem City Council meeting When: 6 p.m. Monday, July 27 Where: In person at Loucks Auditorium, Salem Public Library (585 Liberty St. S.E.) Watch online: Livestreamed on YouTube in English and Spanish Public comment options In person: Members of the public can sign up to comment on any item on the council agenda. Remote comment: Sign up on the city’s website between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday Written comment: Email [email protected] before 5 p.m. Monday, or drop off a paper comment at the City Recorder’s Office, Civic Center (555 Liberty St. S.E., Room 225) READ IT: Materials attached to information report on the Verrus data center project  Information report to council about Verrus project  What’s in the report?  Councilors were provided a detailed information report on Thursday related to the Verrus data center project which provided a timeline of the project, including details about the pre-application process between Verrus and the city, the report from Kristin Retherford, Community Planning and Development director, showed.  The report said Verrus was approved for a three-year property tax exemption from Marion County under a state program given Mill Creek Corporate Center’s status as one of the city’s enterprise zones. The authorization is standard and does not require council approval.  The report also said that the city’s franchise fee means a portion of the data center’s electric bill would go into the city’s general fund.  The report also said that new tariffs on data centers recently authorized by the state means while data centers’ electric bills will go up by 29%, residential customers’ bills would decrease by 1.3%.  Associated documents with information report:  In its information report to council, the city included a number of relevant documents, including documents related to the city’s non-disclosure agreement with Verrus, and the company’s application for a three year tax abatement from Marion County through a state program for enterprise zones.  The report included documents related to the pre application process including a summary of the meetings. The packet also includes timelines for the application period as well as for a legally binding community benefits agreement between the city and the company.  Also before the council Council rule changes:  Councilors will consider changing city council rules related to decorum in meetings to crack down on profanity-laced public comment, giving the mayor more authority to have someone removed from meetings.  The rule changes would also allow council to suspend public comment after 30 minutes.  The rule changes could also mean new security measures including prohibiting firearms in the auditorium, using metal detectors and hiring security guards.  Community Violence Reduction Initiative:  Councilors will also get an update from Interim Chief of Police Brandon Ditto about the Salem Police Department’s Community Violence Reduction Initiative and efforts to engage youth to drive down violent crime.  According to a staff report from Ditto, violent crime in Salem decreased by about 20% in 2025 from the prior year.  There was also a drop in aggravated assault which fell by about 24% with 171 fewer crimes.  Salem also had four homicides last year, a roughly 56% decrease from nine homicides the year before.  Clean energy program:   Councilors will also get information regarding the Salem Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy Program which provides long-term private financing for eligible properties for certain projects related to energy efficiency, renewable energy, water conservation, seismic resiliency and others, a staff report from Retherford said.  Contact reporter Joe Siess: [email protected].  “My go-to source every morning for accurate, local news.” Make Salem Reporter your trusted source for independent local reporting – every day. Stay informed and connected. Subscribe today. The post Salem councilor pitches ban on NDAs, new task force around data center developments  appeared first on Salem Reporter. ...read more read less